"No Expiration Date on Milk"…Is the Food Industry Without Braille Labeling Okay Like This?

"Protect the Right to Know for Visually Impaired Consumers"
No Products Among 321 Have Expiration Dates in Braille
MFDS Distributes Braille Labeling Guidelines for Food Products

Braille labeling on food items such as cup noodles and milk is insufficient, depriving visually impaired individuals of their right to information about food products. The photo shows the cup noodle display at the Seven Eleven Sogong branch in Jung-gu, Seoul, taken on June 13. It is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] It has been found that braille labeling on food items such as cup noodles and beverages is insufficient, causing inconvenience for visually impaired individuals. Although there have been previous calls to enhance accessibility to food information through braille, the issue remains unresolved. In particular, some products do not even display expiration dates, raising concerns that visually impaired people might consume spoiled food.

On the 14th, the Korea Consumer Agency conducted a survey on 321 products including beverages, cup noodles, and milk produced by 14 domestic food companies to check for braille labeling. The results showed that only 121 products (37.7%) had braille labels. Among 94 beverage products, 80 (85.1%) were labeled only as "beverage" or "carbonated" without product names.

Even for products with braille labels, readability was low. When 20 visually impaired consumers aged 40 to 70 evaluated the readability of braille on 78 products, 72 (92.3%) received ratings below "medium" on a scale of "high, medium, low." In particular, PET bottles had weak tactile braille and wide spacing between dots, making it difficult to read and resulting in the lowest readability. Canned beverages also showed poor readability due to the proximity of the can’s edge to the braille location.

A more serious issue is that some food products did not have any expiration date displayed in braille. This poses a significant risk as visually impaired consumers might consume spoiled food during storage after purchase.

Calls to improve accessibility to food information have been made before. In March, a petition titled "Different ways of reading, but equal rights to choose. Please protect the right to know for visually impaired consumers" was posted on the Blue House National Petition website. The petitioner pointed out that many visually impaired people face difficulties purchasing products due to inadequate braille labeling on food items.

Visually impaired YouTuber "OneShot Hansol," who has 410,000 subscribers, also shared his experience of inconvenience caused by insufficient braille labeling. In a video he posted last month, only one out of four types of ramen prepared by brand had the product name, cooking instructions, and flavor written in braille. In another video, he shared a story about buying an unwanted beverage because the braille only indicated "beverage" or "carbonated" instead of the product name.

YouTuber 'Wonshot Hansol' created a video last month sharing their experience of inconvenience due to insufficient Braille labeling on cup noodles and beverages. Photo by YouTube capture

In this regard, Kang Sun-woo, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, introduced a bill to amend the "Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods" (Food Labeling and Advertising Act) as the main sponsor in July last year. The amendment aims to mandate braille labeling of essential product information such as product name and expiration date on foods and food additives. Kang said, "Without relevant regulations, visually impaired consumers find it difficult to purchase desired products without assistance, and there is no way to verify basic food information such as product name, ingredients, precautions, and expiration date." He added, "I hope the amendment will be passed promptly so that disabled consumers can purchase food without inconvenience and have their essential rights guaranteed."

Earlier in July, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also established the "Guidelines on Braille Labeling of Foods" to guarantee the right to know food information for people with visual and hearing impairments. According to the guidelines, information such as product name, content volume, manufacturer name, storage method, and allergenic substances should be provided via QR codes, and the labeling location should be on the main surface of the food packaging along with braille labeling.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.