Kellogg’s changes cereal boxes to help blind, low-vision shoppers

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Kellogg’s is using technology to help blind and low-vision adults as they shop for breakfast cereals.

For use with NaviLens code and app, Kellogg’s products will be packaged in ways to help shoppers hear product names, nutrition and allergen information while navigating the grocery aisles.

“The front and side of these cereal boxes will now feature a NaviLens optical smart code comprising high-contrast colorful squares on a black background that can be detected and read by the NaviLens and NaviLens GO apps,” Kellogg’s stated.

“As users sweep their environment with a smartphone, audio cues allow them to find and center the tag in the phone’s field of view. A shake of the wrist prompts the details contained within the tag to be read out. The information can vary depending on where the user is standing in relation to the tag and can be programmed in multiple languages, with the phone automatically selecting its native language.”

According to the company, the apps can locate the boxes from several feet away and can communicate information in 36 languages.

The new packaging will be featured in four Kellogg’s cereals: Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Special K Original, Rice Krispies and Crispix, the company stated.

Kellogg’s will also be introducing the NaviLens codes at its U.S. corporate facilities, with a implementation deadline of the end of 2023, to improve accessibility for blind and low-vision employees. Codes have already been installed at Kellogg’s corporate headquarters in Battle Creek, Mich.

“This initiative was brought to life through a partnership between Kellogg’s Ready-To-Eat-Cereal business unit and Kapable, the company’s business employee resource group that ensures Kellogg is a welcoming and inclusive environment for current and future employees with disabilities and their supporters,” Kellogg’s stated.

To highlight the benefits of NaviLens, Kellogg’s corporate affairs team member Bethany Foor talked about NaviLens benefits for someone, like herself, who has deaf-blindness caused by Usher syndrome.

“Despite my progressive loss in vision and hearing, I have managed to build a rich, fulfilling career at Kellogg. The company lives its mission, is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion,” Foor said. “I’m honored to be able to play a part in making some of Kellogg’s most iconic products more accessible, and grateful for my colleagues and our leaders who are helping us create better days for the blind and those with vision loss.”