Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to undertake similar evidence gathering to Food Standards Scotland's Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment on braille food labelling in England.

The availability and accessibility of essential food information to all consumers is vitally important. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way.

Defra has met with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to discuss options for improving accessible labelling on food products. Defra is also working with stakeholder groups, including the Business Expert Group on Food Standards and Labelling (BExG), which provides structured dialogue between government, industry and enforcement bodies on food labelling, and with GS1 as they progress work on the transition from traditional barcodes to QR codes. This transition has the potential to support consumers with visual impairments to access not only the basics, but the full range of information available on the label, as well as additional information provided via the App or QR code.

We are aware that some retailers are beginning to offer braille on food products. Through the Food Compositional Standards and Labelling (FCSL) Common Framework, officials across the four nations are coordinating on the accessibility of food labelling, including QR codes and braille. Food Standards Scotland (FSS) regularly provide updates on its work exploring the use of braille for key information such as product name and use‑by date. The Government is interested in the findings of this work, including how it may impact businesses, associated costs and potential alternative approaches to accessibility labelling to aid all consumers.