Intense Reactions to Ronzoni Discontinuing Pastina

Pasta company’s decision to discontinue one of Italian America’s favorite varieties sparks outrage on Twitter, Instagram, and eBay. 

When Ronzoni announced they would no longer be distributing their “Pastina,” the announcement meant that one of the most beloved varieties of pasta would be even harder to find starting in January 2023. The Internet reacted as only the Internet can. In quick action, Pastina-lovers voiced their opinions and scrambled to find the final Ronzoni boxes that would ever be for sale.

Below, we look at the unfolding drama around the end of pastina as it played out on the Internet.

The news made headlines: 


Then came the reaction from social media. Right away, people were unhappy and not afraid to say so. 

There were thinly veiled threats:



In an emotional statement, Barstool host, Marty Mush, said that “when you’re sick little stars shined bright like a diamond.”  

Then came public calls for Ronzoni’s parent company, 8th Avenue, to face incarceration: 



Chefs, such as Danielle Sepsy, were quoted as saying they were in full panic mode over the announcement that Ronzoni Pastina will be no more. 



Even members of the religious community were outraged by the decision to discontinue this pasta by Ronzoni:

The inevitable Change.org petition was created (by someone’s angry Nonna, we imagine) in hopes of creating enough public outcry to have it reinstated on grocery shelves. 



The Fallout of the Pastina Crisis

Since the announcement, Ronzoni Pastina has become a hot item on eBay. One New Jersey-based seller is offering six-packs of Ronzoni Pastina in 12 oz. boxes for $94.99 with free shipping. One seller shipping from Long Island is selling a 12-pack of pastina for $180 with free shopping. A single box of pastina was listed for $19.49. Most 12 oz. boxes of pastina circulating on eBay claim to have a 2025 expiration date. 



Even offline, people raced to stock up on their beloved Italian cold remedy at retail grocers. One shopper in Connecticut spotted someone with a shopping cart full of the soon-to-be-extinct variety of pasta, known for its tiny-star shape and mass appeal. 



For their part, Ronzoni expressed their deep regret for what they said was a supply issue. The factory where the 108-year-old company sourced its pastina is no longer producing that type anymore. Still, there was no indication from Ronzoni that they plan to re-introduce pastina into the market at any time soon. 

Ironically, Ronzoni’s competitors may not have been prepared for the hole the discontinuation would play in the pasta market. A recent Amazon search found that pastina from Barilla ­– the world’s largest pasta producer – was listed as “currently unavailable.”


For now, it looks like Ronzoni Pastina has gone the way of Burger King’s Veal Parm Sandwich. Pastina-eaters will need to get used to newer, or perhaps, smaller-label pastina brands or face empty soup bowls indefinitely.

Stay tuned to America Domani for continued coverage of the “pastina crisis.”