Narrating packaging: Start-up unveils food labels for the visually impaired

11 Sep 2020 --- An Italian start-up has developed a QR code prototype that, when scanned, narrates olive oil packaging labels to visually impaired consumers.

This “Narrative Label” uses 30 second audio recording chapters alongside large-sized images and texts and videos to detail the product contents, the producer, the nutritional qualities and general information about the local olive oil cultivar.

“The status today is very clear: blind people cannot go to a shop and buy goods alone. They need someone to help them,” Fabio Mario Scalise, co-founder of the start-up Sistemi e Servizi di Precisione (SISSPre), tells PackagingInsights.

He regards this dependence as “unacceptable” considering the necessary technology to make shopping more inclusive for sight-impaired and blind consumers already exists, as seen with smartphones, the internet of things and artificial intelligence.

Scalise was motivated to develop a blind-friendly label solution by a friend’s daughter who has struggled with independent shopping.The prototype is compatible with both Android and iOS systems. It is currently being trialed with 20 local companies to test the QR code’s usability and user acceptance. The Narrative Label will be launched in early October.

Sight-impaired friendly technology
Not all visually restricted people are entirely blind. This means that although they cannot easily browse the internet, the Narrative Label needs to be merely scanned for it to yield its contents.

Like written labels, companies that opt for the quick-scan QR code can customize their labels to outline the product’s expiration date, nutritional claims and ingredient provenance, for example. The contents and layout can also be updated, re-recorded and modified as needed, without needing to change the QR code on pack.

“This way, [visually impaired and blind consumers] can access the same kind of information that is usually found on labels,” Scalise explains.

The broader aim is to bring this QR code to the wider F&B packaging sector and even digital devices such as televisions and computers, which have elaborate product specifications. 

Barriers to mainstream marketing
What is notably lacking for this kind of technology to become more of a standard is investment and awareness. 

Developed in the 19th century, the Braille alphabet arrived long before today’s technological advancement was even conceivable. However, the applications for blind-friendly reading did not develop at a comparable scale. 

Braille labeling on-pack today costs companies extra, says Scalise, and targets only a relatively small consumer group, which can discourage investment. 

“In the case of digital technologies, since there is nothing printed and everything is digital, the cost intensity of manufacturing is close to zero. This relieves the economic barrier for the companies that will sell their specific product,” he underscores.

Moreover, it takes SISSPre 30 minutes to generate the QR code and SISSPre is currently working on expanding its database to include non-food sectors.

Try out the Narrative Label by scanning this QR code with your smartphone. Swipe through the chapters and tap the bottom of the screen to hear the audio accompanying the website text on the Oli Tucci olive oil.The Narrative Label was developed by SISSPre in cooperation with CREA, Research Centre for Olive, Citrus and Tree Fruit, Council for agricultural research and economics, the Union of Blind and Visually Impaired People of Calabria, Cosenza Section, and the Oli Tucci farm located in Marcellinara, Italy.

“We are just at the beginning of a long journey. The signs are good and a lot of food companies are keen to move forward on a voluntary basis, even if EU legislation still does not exist,” Scalise concludes.

The power of scannable tech
QR codes rapidly transform packaging into channels for information and interaction. This presents new opportunities for F&B producers to turn their packages into full-scale data carriers for the entire value chain.

The F&B industry is exploring different ways to maximize the potential of QR codes for process optimization. FrieslandCampina uses QR codes specific to each batch of milk formula tins to allow consumers to trace every step in the milking process. A dual QR code on Danone’s infant formula packaging also gives consumers and retailers greater transparency on the product’s farm-to-fork journey.

Other scannable technology is increasingly finding favor in a range of packaging label applications. Zappar’s Augmented Reality projects include virtual cocktail recipes for Bombay Sapphire gin, ingredients and nutritional information brought to life on Kroger Espresso boxes, and Chuppa Chups face filters for post-purchase rewards. Last November, Nestlé Waters North America also introduced code tracking to its Poland Spring plastic bottle labels to create an interactive drinking experience.

By Anni Schleicher