Quorn taps into “inclusive shopping” with NaviLens tech to help visually impaired consumers buy meat-free line

15 Aug 2023 --- Quorn is the first meat-free brand to leverage NaviLens technology in the development of two new options to its frozen range; Tomato & Mozzarella Escalopes and Mini Vegan Sausage Rolls. The “revolutionary technology” will make the Quorn range more accessible and inclusive to blind and visually impaired shoppers.

Inclusive to visually impaired shoppers
The two new products will be the first from Quorn to feature the specially developed NaviLens barcodes, helping blind and visually impaired shoppers when choosing meat-free options. 

Previously, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners used NaviLens QR codes on packaging. 

In similar developments, Kellogg’s permanently adapted all of its cereal boxes for blind and partially sighted consumers after a successful trial on Coco Pops boxes with UK supermarket Co-op. The inclusive cereal boxes are printed with coding technology enabling smartphones to detect and playback labeling and allergen information to users. 

The barcodes allow shoppers to easily access key product information and nutritional details up to 12 times farther away than standard QR codes.

The Quorn Mini Vegan Sausage Rolls will arrive in UK retailers later this year.“We want to make our products as widely accessible as possible so everyone can enjoy more meat-free choices. NaviLens technology is a huge step in our journey toward making things like the weekly food shop a more inclusive and smoother experience for the visually impaired. We’re thrilled to be the first meat-free brand to offer this,”  says Gill Riley, marketing director at Quorn Foods UK.

Meanwhile, Marc Powell, head of Accessibility Innovation at the Royal National Institute of Blind People, adds: “We’re delighted that Quorn is introducing NaviLens technology onto their product packaging. This is a positive step in making products accessible for blind and partially sighted people and ensuring they have the same access and choice as our sighted peers.

“Quorn is the first vegetarian food brand to introduce the technology, and this will bring further choice and independence to people with sight loss.”

More Quorn products are expected to be rolled out with the NaivLens technology over the next 12 months. 

Ramping up plant-based offerings
In April, Marlow Foods revealed its plans to make mycoprotein, the protein in Quorn, available to other F&B manufacturers. Led by a new division, Marlow Ingredients, Marlow mycoprotein has been made available in Europe and internationally. 

Earlier this year, Quorn Foods partnered with US-based plant-based meat pioneer Prime Roots, which will see market expansion and collaboration of alt-meat products. The initiative is paired with a minority investment in Prime Roots, as both companies are expected to enhance their capabilities in the mycelium space.

In May, owner of Quorn, UK-based Marlow Ingredient, partnered with Danish food start-up Tempty Foods to launch meat alternatives based on mycoprotein – a fungus-derived “super protein” widely used in plant-based products. 

Edited by Elizabeth Green