Barilla is to invest €30m ($30.5m) to expand the production of "pasta al bronzo" at its plant in Foggia in southern Italy.
Pasta al bronzo is a type of pasta made with bronze dye.
In a joint statement provided to Italian broadcaster Rai, trade unions FLAI CGIL, FLAI CISL and UILA UIL said the investment “not only reassures about the consolidation of jobs but also confidently anticipates an increase in employment".
When contacted by Just Food, Barilla confirmed the project but declined to comment further on the rationale for the investment.
In Barilla's 2023 annual report, the company said it had 30 production facilities, with 15 in Italy.
The family-owned giant, one of the world's largest suppliers of pasta, has manufacturing sites in countries including the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, Russia and Turkey.
The company has commercial offices in the UAE, China, Singapore, Japan and Australia.
At the end of 2023, Barilla had 9,040 employees, of which 4,125 were located in Italy.
The company generated a profit of €284.1m in 2023, which was a 23% year-on-year increase compared to 2022.
In late 2023, Pasta Evangelists, the direct-to-consumer business owned by Barilla, opened its first UK factory.
Pasta Evangelists was bought by Barilla in 2021. The deal marked Barilla’s return to fresh pasta after leaving the segment in the late 1990s.
