An executive of the Italy-based pasta maker Barilla has apologized for hurting anyone's "sensitivity" after saying the company would never feature ads depicting gay families.

Chairman Guido Barilla's comments Wednesday in an Italian radio interview triggered calls to boycott his company's products, which include cookies and bread.

Many of the company's ads depict heterosexual parents with children gathered for breakfast or dinner.

Barilla says he supports gay marriage but not adoption since it would be "complicated" for same-sex couples to raise children.

After calls mounted on Twitter for boycotts, he reiterated his backing for gay marriage in a statement Thursday, but insisted that traditional families have always been "identified" with the Barilla brand.