Barilla Confirmed as the World’s Leading Food Company for Reputation - Ranking 9th Overall Globally

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- For the third year in a row, Barilla is confirmed as the world’s leading company in the food sector for reputation in the Global RepTrak® 100 ranking conducted by RepTrak, which since 1999 has annually analyzed the companies with the strongest reputations worldwide.

In the 2026 ranking, the Group reaches 9th place overall, moving up 16 spots compared to 2025 (ranked at 25th) and entering the global Top 10, confirming the company’s steady reputation‑building journey developed over the years. This result reflects Barilla’s ability to combine product quality, industrial vision and social responsibility – factors that are increasingly central to the assessment of corporate reputation. The study evaluates key elements including performance, innovation, governance, sustainability and the ability to generate long‑term trust.

“In today’s turbulent macroeconomic environment, maintaining stable performance is already a positive signal,” states Sara Fargion, Vice President RepTrak, EMEA. “However, the ability to grow in this context becomes a true differentiator. The Food sector, in particular, is facing significant pressure, as ongoing waves of inflation continue to drive intense media scrutiny and shape public perception consistently across all 14 countries where we measure reputation.”

Present in over 100 countries, with 30 production sites and an annual output exceeding 2 million tons across pasta, ready‑made sauces and bakery products, Barilla continues to invest in innovation and the continuous improvement of its product offering.

This commitment is reflected in the inauguration in November, in Parma, of BITE (Barilla Innovation & Technology Experience), the new research and development center where 200 professionals – including food technologists, researchers, engineers and food designers – develop new products and improve recipes, production processes and packaging. BITE is a state‑of‑the‑art hub that integrates scientific expertise, food culture and technology to design the future of food, supported by an open‑innovation ecosystem involving universities and research centers worldwide, accelerating the development of increasingly sustainable, safe solutions aligned with evolving consumer needs.

Further confirming its ability to respond to consumer expectations, the Group has been recognized in recent years with two awards from the Product of the Year program in Italy: in 2025, Barilla Al Bronzo was awarded in the Pasta category, while in 2026 the recognition went to Barilla Protein+, both selected by more than 12,000 consumers as part of research conducted by Circana.

Barilla Group’s growth and its ability to engage with new food trends and cultures are also supported by its partnership with Formula 1®, which has brought Barilla’s core value of togetherness into the world’s premier motorsport competition. Globally, high‑impact social initiatives with organizations – such as The Food Bank and Doctors Without Borders – have mobilized thousands of volunteers and citizens, supporting social and humanitarian projects through tangible acts of participation and sharing.

At the same time, Barilla continues to advance its social and environmental commitments, integrating sustainability and energy and water efficiency at the core of its growth model. As part of this ongoing effort, in 2024, the total volume of water recycled and reused increased by 45% compared to 2022, with an even more significant improvement in water‑stressed areas, where the increase reached 164%. This commitment also extends to Barilla’s nearly 9,000 people – the true driving force behind the Group’s performance – and includes, among other initiatives, a global gender‑neutral parental leave policy guaranteeing 12 fully paid weeks for both parents, as well as the achievement, since 2020, of global gender pay equity in line with the principle of “equal pay for equal work” for all Barilla employees worldwide.

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