NaviLens technology will be added to Pringles cans to make them more accessible to blind and partially sighted people.
The new packaging will allow a smartphone to quickly detect the unique on-pack code and playback labelling information to the shopper with sight loss. NaviLens will first appear on some Pringles varieties from 1st November, with the full rollout to be completed by the end of 2024.
The move from Kellanova - the new name for the company that owns Pringles and Kellogg’s - comes after the success of the addition of NaviLens to Kellogg’s brands in 2022, which has appeared on over 750 million cereal boxes.
Many other brands have since followed Kellogg’s lead, with NaviLens technology now appearing on numerous well-known products.
The idea came after the company met with pupils from St Vincent’s in 2019, a specialist school in Liverpool for children with sensory impairment. The pupils’ insight inspired the business to find solutions to make its packaging more accessible. Important information, such as allergens, can often only be found in small print, making it impossible for blind or partially sighted people to read.
This solution came in the NaviLens code, which allows smartphones to pick up the on-pack code from up to three metres away when a shopper points their device toward the product. To scan it, the user can find exactly where the code is located.
When the phone senses the NaviLens code, it is alerted. From here, the shopper can choose to have ingredients, allergens and recycling information read aloud to them and read it on their device using accessibility tools.
Kellanova’s design director, Pete Matthews, said that following the success of adding NaviLens to its cereal packaging last year, Kellanova was pleased to feature this technology on its iconic Pringles cans.
This provides equal access to important information on the pack and enables blind and partially sighted people to shop independently for their favourite Pringles flavours.
“We were the first food company in the world to use NaviLens on packaging and have been delighted to see many global brands follow our lead. It continues our movement for inclusive design and helps fulfil our purpose to ‘create a place at the table for everyone’,” said Matthews.
Marc Powell, head of accessibility innovation at RNIB, said blind and partially sighted people should have the same freedom, independence and choice as sighted consumers. Currently, important information on packaging can often be in very small print, making it difficult or impossible for people with sight loss to read.
“Since we collaborated with Kellogg’s in October 2020 for World Sight Day with our world’s first pilot of NaviLens packaging, we have seen more brands step up to the mark by including accessible solutions on the pack,” said Powell.
“It’s brilliant when big brands like Kellogg’s reaffirm their commitment to improving accessibility for blind and partially sighted people and bring about more accessible packaging through NaviLens technology.”
