Support our campaign calling for retailers to provide braille labelling on food products.
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Join The Dots
We're working with Oban and District Access Panel and Disability Equality Scotland to call on the Scottish Government to introduce new requirements on retailers to provide braille labelling on food products.
Currently, braille labelling is only required for medicines, leaving braille users at a disadvantage to sighted shoppers in identifying food products they wish to buy and use.
We've teamed up with Oban and District Access Panel and Disability Equality Scotland to launch a Scottish Parliament petition calling for mandatory braille labels on food products detailing the name of the item and allergen information.
We’re calling for:
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A statutory duty for businesses and retailers to provide braille labels on food products detailing the name of the item and use by/sell by dates and allergen information.
Why is this important?
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Ensuring information is available in braille is vital for the inclusion of visually impaired people
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Braille labels would help blind and partially sighted people in identifying and organising items in the home e.g. when putting shopping away; selecting products for cooking; knowing that an item is safe to consume
What is the current situation?
Previously, responsibility for labelling legislation was an issue for EU law but this now lies with the Scottish and UK Governments.
We've worked with Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, who lodged a Parliamentary Question on 24 May 2022 asking the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to introducing mandatory braille labelling on food products.
The response from the Minister for Public Health, Maree Todd MSP, on 7 June 2022 stated:
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Food Standards Scotland (FSS) has responsibility for the policies surrounding food labelling in Scotland
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While there is no timescale, food labelling legislation will be subject to review
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During the review process, consideration will be given to which areas and policy approaches are appropriate for Scotland and in a GB context this will also include England and Wales
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These are expected to include mandatory braille labelling and/or how the use of barcoded food information and new technology could help in this area
The Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee agreed to keep the petition open at their last session and have agreed to write to Food Standards Scotland again to seek clarity on when it plans to carry out it's evidence gathering on this issue.
How can I show my support?
Sign the petition, now!
What Braille Users Have Told Us
Find out more from braille users why accessible labelling is vital.
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