Packaging, Small Print and Colour Contrast

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Conference
2010 Retired Members' Conference
Date
22 June 2010
Decision
Carried

Shopping is a nightmare for older people and people with disabilities. Packaging – especially that used for food items – can be very difficult for arthritic and crippled old fingers to get into. Older people’s eyes find small print a problem. Yet health authorities recommend that people should read the nutrition information on food packaging.

It is also vitally important, of course, that people should be able to read cooking instructions – yet the print used for instructions is usually the same size as all the other information. Other hazards encountered for old eyes are the colours used for the print and the background. Little attention seems to be given to the colour contrasts that are used. Some colours seem to coalesce, and can cause eyestrain and much irritation (white on primrose, olive on green, yellow on orange etc).

This Conference calls upon the National Retired Members’ Committee and the National Executive Council to use any power at their disposal, once again, in an endeavour to stop these unacceptable practices in relation to food packaging.