BWG Foods is committed to ensuring that its websites are accessible to all users, in accordance with the European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023.

BWG Foods has undertaken an evaluation to ensure accessibility of spar.ie. This accessibility statement from BWG Foods UC applies to www.spar.ie.

Conformance status

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA.

www.spar.ie is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA. Partially conformant means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard.

Feedback

We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of spar.ie. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers on spar.ie:

• E-mail: accessibility@spar.ie

We will endeavour to respond to feedback within 2 Business Days.  

Compatibility with browsers and assistive technology

The website has not been optimised for screen reader technology. We recommend using the following assistive technologies:

• Chrome Web Browser with NVDA screen reader on windows

The latest version of Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Apple Safari browsers; in combination with the latest versions of NVDA (audio) screen reader on Windows.

Technical specifications

Accessibility of BWG Foods UC relies on the following technologies to work with the particular combination of web browser and any assistive technologies or plugins installed on your computer:

• HTML
• WAI-ARIA
• CSS
• JavaScript

These technologies are relied upon for conformance with the accessibility standards used.

Limitations and alternatives

SPAR is dedicated to making its website accessible to the broadest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We are actively collaborating with our hosting provider to ensure compliance with recognised accessibility standards.

Our goal is to continuously enhance the user experience for everyone by implementing improvements that align with current accessibility guidelines. We are committed to conducting regular reviews to ensure ongoing progress in accessibility and usability.

Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of spar.ie, there may be some limitations. Below is a description of known limitations, and potential solutions. Please contact us if you observe an issue not listed below.

Known limitations for spar.ie:

1. Cookie acceptance options: We use a 3^rd party cookie acceptance plugin. Some elements of this plugin are not fully accessible. We will look to a more accessible vendor as part of our next update.
2. Skip to main content: A skip to main content link is currently not present.
3. Desktop menu navigation: Our main menu is not accessible using a keyboard.
4. Focus State: Some linked areas are missing a focus state
5. Descriptive links: Some text links are ambiguous.
6. Redundant links: Some adjacent links go to the same URL
7. Screen Reader: The site has not been optimised for screen reader technology.
8. Alt Tags: Multiple images do not have any and/or suitable alternative text.
9. Linked images missing alternative text: Images without alternative text exist resulting in an empty link.
10. Form labels: Some form labels are not correctly structured.
11. Empty Links: There are multiple links that contain no text.
12. Contrast errors: There is very low contrast between text and background colours in multiple sections.
13. Headings: Some pages are missing a Heading 1 and/or have skipped heading levels.
14. Cookie acceptance software: We use a 3^rd party cookie acceptance tool which does not fully meet WCAG level AA accessibility standards.
15. Image based text: Some recipes are image based only not accessible for screen.

We are working on updating many of these limitations and will have addressed many of these issues by 5^th July 2025.

Assessment approach

BWG Foods UC assessed the accessibility of spar.ie by the following approaches:

• Third-party evaluation by Dmac Media Ltd.

Formal complaints

Feedback and contact information: You can contact us to request information or for assistance in accessing any content or functionality that is inaccessible.

For information and general enquiries, please contact accessibility@spar.ie

If you are not satisfied with BWG Foods UC’s response, you can make a complaint under either the Equal Status Act 2000 (No. 8 of 2000) or the Disability Act 2005 (No. 14 of 2005) or both.

Advice on making a complaint under the Disability Act is available on the website of the Office of the Ombudsman.

Advice on making a complaint under the Equal Status Act is available on the website of the Workplace Relations Commission.

Date: This statement was created on 24/06/2025 and will be reviewed every three months to ensure compliance.