A record-breaking, half-tonne box of pasta went on sale in supermarkets this week - but not in the world's spaghetti capital of Italy.
Food manufacturers Barilla Turkey took the title for the "The Largest Box of Pasta", after teaming up with Turkey's Migros Ticaret supermarket chain to stock the super-sized helping of penne.
The pasta box was unveiled in Torium 5M Migros Shopping Mall, Istanbul yesterday, and went on sale for 999 Turkish lira ($560), with delivery understandably included in the price.
Under the Guinness World Records guidelines for the new record category, the box had to be at least ten times the size of the original product, had to be filled with the exact same kind of pasta as a regular box, and also had to be made from the exact same materials as a standard box.
The official measurements for the mega pasta box carried out by a GWR adjudicator were 1.54 m in height and 1.30m in width.
Barilla Turkey , Middle East&Africa Market Director Mr. Günes Karababa and his team were on hand to receive their record certificates.
The special boxes will be sold at supermarkets in Istanbul, Edirne and the resort port city of Bodrum. All revenues from the sales of the massive cartons will go to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Turkey consumes 450,000 metric tons (496040 tons) of pasta per year, and is the world's No. 5 producer.
