Barilla introduces mini pasta aimed at kids

CHICAGO Barilla, the popular past-maker, has announced its new petite-sized Barilla Piccolini past line. The pasta is comprised of bite-sized miniatures of traditional pasta shapes.

Piccolini literally means “little ones” in Italian, and was designed with children in mind. The new Piccolini-sized pastas come in four shapes; mini farfalle, mini fusilli, mini penne and mini wheels. They will debut in mass and retail stores across the U.S. The retail price per unit is the same as standard-sized Barilla pastas.

“As the world’s number one pasta maker, Barilla is passionate about bringing families together and teaching children to enjoy wholesome meals at an early age,” president of Barilla America, Kirk Trofholz, said.

Barilla is also launching a storytime promotion, in conjunction with Scholastic books for children. The “Mealtime Magic” promo is an activity book that will appear in the May issue of Scholastic Parent & Child and also at www.scholastic.com. “Barilla and Scholastic strive to teach and inspire children to broaden their understanding of the world around them, such as the spirit of authentic Italian cooking,” Trofholz said.

The Barilla Group owns Barilla, Mulino Bianco, Pavesi, Voiello, and Wasa, among other pasta, whole wheat and grain brands.