Gay rights campaigners are hoping for a boycott of leading pasta brand Barilla after its chairman said his company would never use a gay family in its advertising.

55-year old Guido Barilla said: "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."

Barilla is one of Italy’s biggest advertisers, and for many years has used the image of a happy family living in an idealised version of the Italian countryside, with the slogan: "Where there’s Barilla, there’s home".

Guido Barilla gave the interview to an Italian radio station saying he opposed adoption by gay parents, but was in favour of allowing gay marriage, which is not legal in Italy.

He also said if gay people "like our pasta and our advertising, they’ll eat our pasta, if they don’t like it then they will not eat it and they will eat another brand," he said.

Aurelio Mancuso, head of gay rights group Equality Italia urged people to boycott the company’s pasta, sauces and snacks.

"We accept the invitation from the Barilla owner to not eat his pasta," Mancuso said.

Antonio Banderas stars in the Barilla's latest publicity campaign

Many Italians also took to social media sites to express their shock at Barilla’s comments. Alessandro Zan, a gay member of parliament, said on Twitter: "You can’t mess around with consumers, including gay ones."

Barilla issued a statement on Thursday apologising, explaining that he was trying to say "simply that the woman plays a central role in a family."

"Barilla features families in its commercials because it embraces anyone, and they have always been identified with our brand," he said.

Spanish film star Antonio Banderas features in Barilla’s recent promotional campaign for Mulino Bianco cookies and breakfast cakes. They depict the actor baking biscuits with children and talking to a chicken called Rosita.