by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Intern
The Kellogg Company recently announced a collaboration with NaviLens intended to make the packaging of some of their products, including Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Special K Original, Rice Krispies and Crispix, accessible to people with vision loss. These products will now feature a NaviLens optical smart code. The codes can be detected with the free NaviLens mobile app, allowing users to navigate to them from a distance, such as in a grocery store, and obtain product information comparable to what is displayed on the cereal box. By the end of 2023, NaviLens technology will also be implemented fully in Kellogg’s U.S. corporate facilities for the benefit of employees who are visually impaired. Charisse Hughes, Kellogg’s chief brand and advanced analytics officer, stated, “’The heart of Kellogg’s Better Days Promise ESG strategy is the advancement of sustainable and equitable access to food. We work hard to think outside the box to ensure our products are accessible to as many people as possible. Thanks to the hard work of our cross-functional teams, we’re able to adapt and leverage this technology to ensure we’re living by our purpose – to create a place at the table for everyone.’” The partnership was the brainchild of Kapable, an inclusion group at Kellogg focused on employees with disabilities, in particular its co-chair, Bethany Foor, a Corporate Affairs team member, who has vision loss. Foor said of the initiative: “”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.’” You can read more about the collaboration in this press release on the incorporation of NaviLens technology into Kellogg cereal packaging.
