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posted by janrinok on Saturday July 04 2015, @05:21AM   Printer-friendly
from the slip-slidin'-away-pt2 dept.

Orkla Group has become the first food company to announce a deal with LiquiGlide Inc., which offers a non-stick coating for the inside of bottles and other food packaging:

Mayonnaise that does not get stuck in its container is being developed by a Norwegian company. Orkla is the first food manufacturer to announce a deal with US company Liquiglide to use its non-stick coating in product packaging. [...] Liquiglide says its coating is "completely harmless" and meets safety standards because it "can be made entirely from food".

The company was founded in 2012 to sell licences for a non-stick technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A customised version of the coating is created for each product, resulting in a "permanently wet" surface inside containers that helps the product slip out. It told the BBC it was working with 30 companies, including some of the biggest consumer brands in the US.
Orkla's food division generated more than 3bn krone (£246m) of sales in its last quarter. The company said it was still deciding exactly how it would use the technology in its products.

While reducing wasted product may benefit consumers, Liquiglide suggests it could also encourage shoppers to buy more frequently. The company states on its website: "Liquiglide makes dispensing product so easy that consumers actually tend to use it faster... it pushes consumers to an earlier repurchase point."

From a 2012 article:

The site claims the spray will work on glass, plastic, metal and ceramic surfaces and with any condiment — there's also a similar video showing LiquiGlide's use with mayonnaise. The LiquiGlide site says easy pours will not only prevent wasted quantities, but could also eliminate 25,000 tons of petroleum-based plastics by allowing the use of smaller caps.

While he wouldn't reveal its contents, [Massachusetts Institute of Technology PhD candidate Dave] Smith told Fast Company magazine that LiquiGlide has other potential uses, such as preventing clogs in oil and gas lines. "We've patented the hell out of it," he said.


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  • (Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Sunday July 05 2015, @09:36AM

    by maxwell demon (1608) on Sunday July 05 2015, @09:36AM (#205239) Journal

    That's probably the reason why they claim that consumers will use (and thus buy) more of the mayonnaise.

    Anyway, even if it reduces how often consumers buy the bottle, that may well be offset by consumers switching to producers using that system. And if everyone uses the system, someone trying not to will be at a very distinct disadvantage. It's one of the few cases where the tragedy of the commons is actually an advantage for the consumer.

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