Profit and Consumer Respect can Go Hand in Hand
By Ernesto Dini
Mediterrabio is the first and only company in Italy and in Europe to use Braille labels on its products.
In a press release from a well-known
Bolognese company, Mediterrabio, which produces and distributes food
products, it is written: "MEDITERRABIO AND BRAILLE". It is not a marketing
slogan or a magic formula, but two words bringing together the action of an
important company overcoming the solid laws of market and profit, and
strenghtening its philosophy of social responsability in respect to the rights
and dignity of all consumers and, as well, the commitment to meet the
irrepressible need and firm intention of a category of people who have always
fought to defend their own independence and to gain civil, cultural and social
opportunity that is equal to others. As a matter of fact, Mediterrabio, first
and only company in Italy and in Europe to do so, has decided to reproduce in
Braille the name of its products on their label. It has begun with a few
products from the Alce Nero line, but within a couple of years, the initiative
will also include products from the lines Mondovero, Mielizia and Libera Terra
for a total of 150 products. This means that blind and low vision consumers will
also be able to read directly and independently the labels of products before
buying them and, most of all, before eating them.
The initiative, presented
on the occasion of the exhibition SaNa in Bologna, last September, is creating
great interest for more than 300,000 citizens in Italy and more than two
millions in Europe, 60% of which are 65 and older. It is easily understandable
that there are many technical difficulties involved in reproducing in Braille
the content of a print label. The company plans, however, to reproduce, besides
the product name, at least the expiry date which is absolutely essential to the
consumer's safety and peace of mind.