TOKYO – Japan’s largest snack manufacturer “Calbee” has been forced to temporarily switch the packaging of some of its flagship products from brightly colored designs to black-and-white amid supply chain disruptions linked to the ongoing Iran war and its impact on global energy and shipping routes.
According to The Guardian Tuesday, disruption, linked to instability in the Strait of Hormuz, has affected supplies of naphtha, a petroleum-derived material used in producing printing ink.
The shortage has led to constraints in ink-related raw materials, prompting the company to adjust its packaging strategy, MENA reported.
Calbee announced that 14 of its products, including its well-known potato chips will adopt monochrome packaging by the end of May in order to maintain stable production amid volatile supply conditions.
The company said it was responding to an “unstable supply of certain raw materials” as global energy disruptions continue to affect industrial inputs across multiple sectors.
Japan imports around 40% of its naphtha from the Middle East, making its manufacturing sector highly exposed to fluctuations in oil and petrochemical supply chains.
The report noted that Japanese authorities have sought to reassure markets, saying domestic refining continues using strategic reserves and that imports from regions outside the Middle East have increased in recent weeks to offset shortages.
Government officials also said there is currently no immediate risk of disruption to essential industrial inputs, including naphtha used in ink production, and that supply routes are being diversified to ensure stability.
The development has drawn widespread attention in Japan, coming after earlier consumer concerns over temporary production halts in other snack products due to fuel-related shortages.
Founded in Hiroshima in 1949, Calbee has grown into a global snack producer with sales across Asia, Europe and the United States, recording revenues of 322.5 billion yen in 2025.
