Barilla Boycot, Twitpic

"I would never do (a commercial) with a homosexual family, not for lack of respect but because we don't agree with them. Ours is a classic family where the woman plays a fundamental role," said Barilla in an interview with a radio interview on Wednesday.  

Lead by Aurelio Mancuso, the gay rights advocacy group, Equality Italia, has called for an international boycott of Barilla products in response to the "offensive provocation."

The international backlash has led the Barilla to issue an apology on the company’s website. 

“To all those who have been offended, including the thousands of employees and partners who work with Barilla around the world, I apologize for and regret my insensitive comments. I understand that they were hurtful and they are not a genuine view of my opinion,” reads the statement. 

Consumer backlash for party politics is nothing new, however. 

In 1977 shoppers boycotted Nestlé products for their perceived exploitation of mothers in less developed countries. The chocolate chip mongrel was accused of luring people in developing nations to avoid breastfeeding in favor of more expensive, less nutritious formula. 

Contemporary boycotts have mainly been the result of activism by the LGBT community. In recent years, Salvation Army, Target, Chick-fil-A, and Stoclichanya vodka have all faced boycotts from their opposition to homosexuality.  

As with the Barilla boycott, social media has been a tremendous tool for activists in spreading notice and riling up consumers to support the boycott. 

In today’s era of social media activism, companies have to more wary than ever not just of their product quality, but of how they represent themselves to the public sector. 

Contact Executive Producer Sara Newman here. Follow her here.