Kellogg’s has launched limited-edition World Sight Day Coco Pops cereal boxes in the UK. The boxes use NaviLens technology to allow a smartphone to detect and play back information, and also feature braille embossing, include on-pack information in a larger font size, according to information released by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
The boxes were available in almost 60 Co-op stores across the UK from 8 October. They use pioneering technology called NaviLens to allow a smartphone to detect and playback labeling and allergen information to shoppers.
This trial comes after research from RNIB revealed that nine in 10 blind and partially sighted people feel that information on food packaging is difficult or impossible to read. If successful, Kellogg’s hopes to adapt more of its cereal boxes to include this technology.
Marc Powell, strategic accessibility lead at RNIB, says, “This trial with Kellogg’s has raised the bar in inclusive and accessible packaging design allowing people with low or no vision to locate a product on the shelf and access all information about it completely independently for the very first time.”
“Important information on packaging can often be in very small print, making it difficult for blind and partially sighted people to read. This can make shopping a real challenge, especially for those with specific dietary requirements as they can’t see the all-important nutritional information,” he added.
This new technology can be used both in-store and in the home. It allows smartphones to pick up an on-pack code from up to three meters distance when a blind or partially sighted shopper points their device in the direction of the cereal box. This then alerts the phone and the shopper can choose to have the ingredients, allergen and recycling information read aloud to them as well as reading it on their device using accessibility tools.
Chris Silcock, Kellogg’s managing director, explains, “Over two million people in the UK live with sight loss and are unable to simply read the information on our cereal boxes. That’s why we partnered with RNIB to trial special boxes of Coco Pops with NaviLens technology – a first for food packaging. If the trial is a success, we would hope that it could appear on more of our cereal boxes for visually impaired shoppers to access.”
