After research conducted by the UK’s Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) showed that 90 per cent of visually impaired people feel that “information on food packaging is difficult or impossible to read”, they got together with Kellogg’s and did something about it.
Launching the new product as a trial on World Sight Day in 2020, Kellogg’s Coco Pops boxes in the UK were printed using braille, larger print and simplified artwork along with NaviLens technology that allows users to access product and allergen information with their smartphone. The code on the box can be picked up from three metres away and can be read wherever the box is located. The user can either read the information on their smartphone or have it read out loud to them.
NaviLens is currently used to make public transport easier for the sight impaired to navigate in some of Spain’s major cities but it’s the first time it’s been used on food packaging. This feature also means that users can locate the product more easily either in the supermarket or at home.
‘The prospect of being able to go into a shop by myself and buy my shopping is such an incredible opportunity.’ Lora Fachie, Paralympic Gold medallist.
The 2020 trial was so successful that Kellogg’s are now putting the NaviLens codes on their whole range of cereal products throughout Europe.