Coke near ready to test 12-oz bottle

So revealed Ian S. Roberts manager of the package development department at The Coca-Cola Co. Atlanta GA in remarks at Nova-Pack May 8 in Dsseldorf Germany. Earlier the company had said it expected a U.S. market test before the end of '96. This test of the single-serve bottle will use Coke's contour shape and will be topped by a 28-mm screw cap and is expected to last six months Roberts says. It should provide valuable evidence into how long PEN's vaunted barrier properties can maintain carbonation in a small container. Roberts however wouldn't identify a test location except to note that it wouldn't be under "FDA jurisdiction." When asked about PEN gaining a letter of nonobjection from the Food & Drug Administration Roberts deflected the question to suppliers. Responding to a question about package differentiation at the seminar Roberts said that by the end of the 1980s the company "had ridden the chariot of lower-cost producer for a long time." Coke had "seemed to be abandoning a bit of our heritage. We were losing the identification of the contour bottle." Nova-Pack was sponsored by Schotland Business Research (Skillman NJ).