Pavia & Ansaldo has been targeted by investors in scandal-hit food group Parmalat, it has emerged, with the Italian stalwart being named in a US securities suit.

The class action suit, filed in New York by litigation firm Spector Roseman & Kodroff, is demanding a jury trial for a raft of advisers and consultants to Parmalat after the company last year restated its figures, triggering investigations from US and Italian regulators.