Stock up on your starry pasta while you can.
Pasta brand Ronzoni has announced that the company is discontinuing its pastina product, a tiny star-shaped pasta. Ronzoni, a subsidiary of Post Holdings, made what some see as a tragic announcement in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“We hear you and greatly appreciate your love for Ronzoni Pastina,” wrote the company in the post. “After extensive efforts, we regretfully announce that Ronzoni pastina is being discontinued. This wasn’t a decision that we wanted to make.”
The company attributed the decision to a “long-term supplier” that announced it would no longer be able to make Ronzoni pastina starting in January 2023.
“We searched extensively for an alternative solution but were unable to identify a viable option to make Pastina in the same beloved small shape, size and standards you have come to expect from Ronzoni,” the company went on. “As a result, we had to make the difficult decision to discontinue this product.”
Pastina is the smallest shape that Ronzoni sells, according to the brand’s website. The petite, five-pointed stars are typically cooked in soups with cheese and eggs. One 12-ounce box of Ronzoni pastina retails for $1.69 on Stop and Shop’s website.
Online, fans reacted to Ronzoni’s surprise announcement with shock and outrage.
“Who’s the long term supplier?” wrote TikTok creator and musician Nick Tangorra in a comment on Ronzoni’s Instagram. “I just wanna talk.”
Others shared nostalgic stories about eating pastina as a child, or recalled pastina soups lovingly cooked by grandparents.
“i am devastated,” wrote Long-Island based writer Michele Catalano on Twitter on Thursday. “Pastina with milk and butter is my comfort food. Nothing feels like home, safety, warmth, and comfort like eating a bowl of pastina when you’re sad.”
Some users even tagged one of Ronzoni’s competitors, Barilla, which sells its own pastina products.
“We appreciate your loyalty to us,” replied Barilla from its verified Twitter account.
A petition for the company to reverse course on discontinuing the product had gathered over 2,000 signatures as of Friday morning.
