Japan’s major snack maker Calbee says it is changing the packaging colors of some products to black and white, citing shortages of materials used in colored printing inks. Multiple outlets report that the shift affects 14 product lines, with the changes set to begin around late May (and potentially extend into June). Calbee describes the move as a “temporary” response to “supply instability” for certain raw materials tied to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Sources link the packaging disruption to reduced availability of naphtha, a crude-oil derivative used in petrochemical production, including the inputs for printing ink. Several articles attribute the broader supply strain to war-related pressures affecting oil and fuel flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which raises prices and disrupts industrial supply chains. Calbee says the change applies to packaging only and that product contents remain the same.
Other Japanese food companies are also reported to be considering similar adjustments, including using fewer colors or alternative inks. The duration of the packaging change is not specified by Calbee, and outlets note that the company does not give a clear end date.
