Japanese snack giant Calbee has announced a temporary shift to black-and-white monochrome packaging for 14 of its products, citing global supply chain disruptions caused by the ongoing war on Iran, the Japanese media reported.
The move follows a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz because of the war, which has halted key petroleum shipments and led to a shortage of naphtha—a crude oil byproduct essential for producing industrial printing inks and plastics.
To conserve limited resources, Calbee will reduce its packaging to just two ink colors, replacing its iconic bright designs—such as the red Kappa Ebisen shrimp cracker bags and orange Usu Shio potato chip bags—with minimalist grayscale wrappers featuring plain text and no mascots.
The change is rolling out starting 24 May 2026, across major markets including Japan, the United States, China, and Australia. The company says that while the exterior appearance will change, the snacks’ taste, ingredients, safety, and quality will remain unaffected.
Industry analysts note this as one of the first visible consumer impacts of the conflict on manufacturing, with other companies like Itoham Yonekyu and Shiseido also considering similar packaging adjustments or shifts to plant-based materials as naphtha costs continue to rise.
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Naresh Khanna – 10 February 2025
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