Apparently that particular product is made by a specific third party producer and that producer has decided it's too much trouble to make any longer. Ronzoni is now part of a group of companies under the same parent company ownership with sister brands like San Giorgio and Prince. I think a big part of the issue is that this particular product has been around since the beginning of time and is a staple for many families- most often a comfort food either served in chicken broth or plain with butter for children, or adults for that matter, who simply won't or can't eat anything else while ill - a rather iconic item. I guess as the article attached to Laundress' post points out, part of the issue is the "carb avoidance culture" of today. Interesting to me though that the same people who won't touch bread, pasta or potatoes think nothing of the carbs consumed when they drink. But I guess to each their own.
I managed to score the last two boxes of Ronzoni brand in a small ethnic market Thursday but literally haven't seen it on the shelves of the major stores for a while now. I see lots of new unnecessary shapes so some shapes must fall out of favor. Do we really need three or four types of penne? And I have to take issue with the article's comment that acini di Pepe or orzo are comparable because of their size. I like those shapes (as well as tubettini or ditalini) for certain applications, but they aren't Pastina. Understanding that this is a matter of personal taste, I see nothing wrong with Ronzoni products and use them regularly. Even if I could find Barila Pastina I wouldn't buy it. I simply don't like the taste of Barila - to me it has a weird metallic aftertaste and I feel it is too expensive for what it is. Many others feel their corporate policies are anti-gay so won't buy their stuff (I admit to not paying too much attention to that since I don't use their products anyway).
My dried pasta of choice however is DeCecco, but they don't make Pastina. I have seen one of those brands (I believe it's Colavita) that is sold in a bag that offers a shape called "Stelline" or little stars, that mimics the shape of Pastina). So that is an acceptable work around. And BTW, E-bay is seiling Ronzoni Pastina for around $24. per box. My ancestors would be spinning in their graves right now!!
