Barilla, a world leader in the markets of pasta, is expanding its partnership with Be My Eyes, a platform that provides live audio and visual support for blind and visually impaired consumers, by incorporating QR codes on the packaging of ten of Barilla's most popular classic pasta offerings.
Barilla is passionate about creating diverse and accessible products for consumers. In 2021, Barilla became the first food company to partner with Be My Eyes, enabling shoppers to connect with Barilla experts directly through smartphone cameras.
Now, Barilla and Be My Eyes are thrilled to expand accessibility to pasta products for those in need of visual assistance. The new QR codes will rollout starting this month on boxes of Barilla Classic Penne, Spaghetti, Farfalle, Rotini, Rigatoni, Tri-Color Rotini, Thin Spaghetti, Fettuccini, Angel Hair and Linguine.
"Ensuring our consumers have access to quality resources that allow them to better understand our products is incredibly important," says Laura Birk, Vice President of Human Resources, Barilla Americas. "Be My Eyes has proven to be a helpful and important resource for pasta shoppers, supporting Barilla's mission to make our products widely accessible to all. We are excited to be on the cutting edge of developments in our industry to increase accessibility for individuals with visual assistance needs."
In one easy step, consumers can use their smartphone camera to scan the QR code on top of the Barilla pasta box and will be instantly connected to Barilla experts through the Be My Eyes app. Once there, they can request any visual information they wish, such as information on pasta cuts, recipes, cooking instructions, expiration dates, or other visual product questions.
"Every day, thousands of people with visual challenges rely on Be My Eyes to live their lives independently," said Be My Eyes Founder, Hans Jørgen Wiberg. "Barilla is taking an unprecedented step to support their blind/low-vision customers by adding QR codes to their packaging. No matter the question, Barilla is one scan and click away from providing visual assistance to consumers."