Kansas City, Mo. ? American Italian Pasta Co. on Wednesday reported a third-quarter loss, blaming the continued popularity of diets low in carbohydrates.

The Kansas City, Mo.-based company also lowered its earnings forecast for the fourth quarter as it continues restructuring its operations to better reflect an industry that company officials estimate has lost 100 million pounds in pasta consumption in the last year.

“This has been a tough period and many difficult decisions have had to be made,” said Tim Webster, company president and chief executive, during a conference call with analysts.

For the quarter ending July 2, the company reported losing $526,000, or 3 cents per share, compared to a profit of $12 million, or 65 cents per share, during the third quarter of last year.

The loss included $9.9 million in charges related to closing a manufacturing plant in Kenosha, Wis., laying off about 100 employees companywide, reducing inventory and rolling out new reduced-carb pasta products.