340 words approx. 1 minute 15 seconds to read

In 2001 we became the first retailer to introduce braille on our Co-op branded packaging for medicines. We started to add braille onto other Co-op branded products from 2002.

We now include braille on our medicines where there’s a legal requirement to do so and encourage it to be used on Co-op branded products where it is technically and commercially feasible to do so.

To write in braille on our packaging, unique braille files and metal printing blocks are created for each of the many Co-op branded products.

World Braille Day

We know having braille on our packaging is helpful to blind and partially sighted customers when they’re shopping, but the real benefit is the independence achieved in their own home.

Braille on our packaging makes it easier for someone using products in the shower, for example, to know if they’ve picked up shower gel, shampoo or conditioner.

Over 2 million people in the UK live with sight loss, that’s around one person in thirty. Of these, 360,000 people are registered with their local authority as blind or partially sighted and RNIB have predicted that by 2020 the number of people with sight loss will rise to over 2.2 million.

Braille is almost invisible to people with sight so it can be embossed over the printed words people with sight read on packaging. Braille characters have to be the same size too, which means the amount of information that we can get on our packaging is limited. But, we aim to get the essential information and we include our brand name as well if there is room.

Read more about our history on clear labeling and Policy plans for the future.

Cathryn Higgs
Head of Food Policy

Read more about the Co-op difference;

• All Co-op branded household products are cruelty-free
• We helping farmers boost bee numbers
• How we’re tackling food waste