Forget low carb diets – lockdowns have made Canadians embrace their love of comfort foods, pasta included.

In fact, production at Italpasta “went insane,” operating at full capacity all hours of the day, according to Laura Dal Bo, Italpasta’s director of marketing, communications and import brands.

The company recently came to market with a new top of line campaign, built around the near universal love people have for pasta, narrated by Italpasta founder Joseph Vitale, centred on the raw emotions conjured up by pasta and how it is a ties that binds and transcends generations and cultures.

Now this message is being reiterated at shelf, as Italpasta is supporting “Our Pasta Love Affair” in store with aisle blades showcasing appetite appeal via a fulsome forkful of its Artisan line.

“We are actually mirroring anywhere Artisan is available,” Dal Bo says.

The program is being rolled out across major mainstream banners, with Loblaw being a key partner. The company says its focus is mainly Ontario and the West.

There’s something comforting about the familiar, Dal Bo explains, adding that pasta has the ability to withstand everything from diet crazes to inflation, by being a budget-friendly meal as well.

And to get with the times on the sustainability side, the company decided to remove the cellophane window on its Artisan box packaging, which renders it 100% recyclable.

Canada is the fifth largest importer of pasta in the world, a market that, according to 2020 figures, is worth more than a half billion dollars. And another way Italpasta stands out at shelf, is by prominent callouts to its “Made in Canada” and 100% Grade No 1 Canadian Wheat credentials.

Cundari did the top of line campaign, while Neptune handled the shopper elements.