Aunt Bessie’s is bringing a first to the freezer aisle, by teaming up with RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) and NaviLens to support people with sight loss when shopping and preparing frozen food.
The UK’s leading Roast accompaniments brand will be adding NaviLens technology to selected packs across their range of products, initially on 10 Glorious Golden Yorkshires and Roast Potatoes 1.3kg, to help make these popular frozen food items more accessible to visually impaired people. The technology will help shoppers find these items more easily in-store and in their freezer as well as allowing the on-pack labelling to be heard, instead of read.
The launch comes as a recent survey, conducted by Aunt Bessie’s and RNIB, showed the majority (85%) of those surveyed living with a visual impairment had issues accessing the information on frozen food packaging.
Half of respondents currently have to ask someone else to read the product information to them and some aren’t able to access the product information at all (8%). 2 out of 3 admit to buying the wrong product in store because they had mistaken the packaging for something else.
Nearly half of respondents (46%) admitted that they find it more difficult to shop in the frozen food aisle compared to other aisles of the store – with the placement of products either low down in freezers that you have to lean into or behind big doors that you have to pull open, with some going so far as to report that frozen food packaging takes away their independence.
NaviLens technology aims to empower those living with sight loss by helping them easily identify products from a distance and while moving. It works by holding up a smartphone installed with the app to detect the unique code on the front of pack and then using audio instructions to provide directions to the product that the shopper is looking for. The audio messaging is also able to read out the brand, nutritional information, preparation instructions, ingredients, allergens and recycling information.
Lauren Ward, Brand Manager at Aunt Bessie’s, said “Every six minutes someone in the UK begins to lose their sight and ultimately their ability to easily complete tasks that many might take for granted, such as reading the labelling on food packaging or finding specific foods in supermarkets.”
“We know from the survey we conducted with RNIB that the majority of respondents (96%) say it would be useful to have NaviLens technology on frozen food packaging so we’re delighted to be launching such an impactful tool on two of our most loved products as we continue to strive to make mealtimes as accessible as possible.”
Marc Powell, RNIB Accessibility Innovation Lead, said: “Blind and partially sighted people should have the same freedom, independence, and choice as sighted customers. Currently, important information on packaging can often be in very small print, making it difficult or impossible for people with sight loss to read.
“That is why RNIB is working with organisations to bring about a significant step-change in how brands can put accessibility at the forefront of design and packaging decisions, and be a catalyst for change. We are delighted that Aunt Bessie’s is the first frozen food brand to sign up to using NaviLens technology on their packaging.”
