Rice Krispies Make Love More Accessible With Braille Snack Notes

By: Rudy Sanchez

For many parents, putting a note in their kids’ lunch is a way to connect with them, share a joke, inspire them to do well, or just to let the little ones know they’re loved. But what about the over 63,000 school-aged visually impaired kids that can’t read a note in their lunch box?

Since 2017, Rice Krispies has made it easier for parents to include a note in their children’s lunches by adding a blank, heart-shaped space on their packaging—because let’s face it, most kids aren’t going to skip dessert. Seeing how much the packaging resonated with consumers, they’ve decided to make this packaging more accessible for parents of the blind by offering braille stickers in the shape of a blank heart on the package.

These braille stickers have affirmations such as “You’ve got this,” “Go for it,” and “Love you lots.”

“We knew that the notes were something that was working very strongly with our consumers,” says Emily Minardi, associate marketing director for Rice Krispies Treats.

For kids that don’t read braille or are auditory learners, Kellogg’s is offering a box equipped with a recording device and speaker, which holds one snack and allows parents to record a 10-second message, which can be changed about 1,000 times.

“Kellogg as a whole has a larger connection to this cause with W.K. Kellogg having lost his sight for the last decade of his life and continued to work at the company full time for a number of years afterwards,“ said Jessica Waller, Vice President of Sales and co-chair of Kapable Business/Employee Resource Group at Kellogg. "Inclusion is in our DNA, and is now shared through Rice Krispies Treats ‘Love Notes.’ Everyone is important, and we want each child to be able to feel loved, supported and acknowledged.”

A tasty Rice Krispie is a welcomed snack in any kid’s lunchbox, but for making it easier for parents of blind children to express their love to them might be the sweetest treat of all.

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Rudy Sanchez

Rudy Sanchez is a product marketing consultant based in Southern California. Once described by a friend as her “technology life coach,” he is a techie and avid lifelong gamer. When he’s not writing or helping clients improve their products, he’s either watching comedies on Netflix, playing the latest shooter or battle royale game or out exploring the world via Ingress and Pokémon Go.