Japanese snack giant switches to black and white packaging as Iran war hits ink supplies

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has severely disrupted global supplies of energy and petrochemicals.

The Iran War Is Taking the Color Out of Japan’s Best-Known Snack Bags

The food giant Calbee said shortages of naphtha, a crude-oil derivative used in inks, were forcing it to switch to black-and-white packaging for its salty products.

By Javier C. Hernández and Kiuko Notoya

Ink Shortage Means Black-and-White Bags of Potato Chips in Japan - Bloomberg.com

Ink Shortage Means Black-and-White Bags of Potato Chips in Japan  Bloomberg.com

Japanese snack maker goes black and white on Iran war supply crunch

Calbee to drain colour from packaging in response to rising prices of petroleum-based inks

Iran war oil shortage forces Japan snack giant to use black-and-white packaging

Calbee to switch its brightly coloured packaging to black and white because war has disrupted supply of certain raw materials used in ink Japan’s biggest snack maker has been forced to use black-and-white packaging for some flagship products because of ink ingredient shortages caused by the strait of Hormuz blockade. Calbee said on Tuesday 14 of its products would switch to monochrome branding by the end of May. Continue reading...

By Gavin Blair in Tokyo

Oil crunch drains colour from Calbee, 1 of Japan’s favourite snacks

One of Japan’s best-loved snack brands is switching to monochrome packaging for a number of its products due to a shortage of naphtha – a crude-oil derivative used in petrochemicals and printing inks – caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Calbee said it would “temporarily revise packaging specifications for certain products in response to supply instability affecting certain raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East”. The decision by th...

By Julian Ryall

Oil shortages are even hitting colored snack bags

A Japanese snackmaker is simplifying packaging as a naphtha supply squeeze hits printing ink. Bloomberg/Getty Images A popular potato chip maker in Japan is turning its snack bags black and white due to naphtha shortages. Prices of naphtha, a raw material for printing ink, have soared as the war in Iran is squeezing supply. The supply squeeze is hitting companies across Japan, including toiletmaker Toto. First, fuel prices surged. Now, even potato chips aren't safe from the global petrochem...

Why Japanese snacks are turning black and white: The 2026 ‘Ink-flation’ crisis explained

Snacks giant Calbee, crunched by Iran-related ink shortage, switches to monotone packaging

Calbee's Potato Chips are instantly recognisable for their multi-hued designs but printing ink requires naphtha, an oil derivative for which Japan relies on imports from the Middle East for about 40 per cent of its consumption.

Food makers eye black-and-white packaging amid a shortage of a key petrochemical

Iran war makes Japanese crisp packs go colorless

Japan's top potato chip maker is feeling the impact of supply shortages linked to the Iran war, swapping its signature orange-and-yellow packaging for black-and-white designs....