Japanese snack maker Calbee is ending the "black-and-white packaging" it had introduced due to naphtha supply shortages, but only for some products. As word spread that the company would gradually return to color packaging, consumers have responded by saying the black-and-white products have effectively become "limited editions" that they should rush to buy.
According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) and other outlets on the 12th, Calbee announced on the 9th that it would switch the packaging of some products, including "Potato Chips," back to color starting with the front side. As procurement conditions for raw materials such as ink improved somewhat, the company decided to partially resume color printing after about two months.
When naphtha supply became unstable amid the prolonged U.S.-Iran war, Calbee had switched the packaging of 14 snack products, including potato chips, entirely to black-and-white, starting with shipments from May 25. Naphtha is a key raw material used throughout the packaging process, including in plastic, film, and printing ink.
First, from the 27th, two cereal products including "Frugra" will have their packaging returned to color on both sides. Then, starting next month, the front sides of six products including Potato Chips "Lightly Salted," "Consomme Punch," and "Kappa Ebisen" (shrimp chips) will be changed to color.
However, the remaining six products will keep their double-sided black-and-white packaging for the time being. The company judged that ink conservation is still necessary to ensure stable product supply, and it plans to expand color printing in stages.
Regarding the reason for applying color to the front side first, Calbee explained that "it is the part that can best convey necessary information about the product to consumers." The company said it would continue to conserve raw materials while monitoring procurement conditions, and respond flexibly to changes in the business environment such as geopolitical risks.
Snack Packaging Changed by Middle East Tensions...Spreading Across the Food Industry
This measure was triggered by heightened Middle East tensions following the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Naphtha, which is produced during the crude oil refining process, is essential for manufacturing the solvents and resins in printing ink, and as its supply became unstable, disruptions also occurred in color ink production.
The impact extended beyond packaging to production sites. Japanese confectionery maker Yamayoshi Seika temporarily suspended production of its flagship potato chip product "Wasabeef" in March. This was because securing the heavy oil for the boilers used to fry potato chips had become difficult.
Another beverage company decided to halt container printing for 15 lactic acid bacteria beverages from late this month, and Hiroyuki Urata, president of Japanese food company Itoham Yonekyu, also said at the company's earnings announcement in May that "it may become difficult to maintain fancy packaging going forward" and that "there is a possibility of switching to simple packaging such as black-and-white."
Meanwhile, as news spread that the black-and-white packaging would soon disappear, a movement to seek out the black-and-white products has instead emerged on local social media.
Netizens showed interest in the black-and-white packaged products that have become "limited editions," with reactions such as "If they change this quickly, won't the black-and-white packaging get a premium?", "Now that it's a limited edition, I should buy 10 bags as a keepsake," and "I haven't bought the black-and-white version yet, I should buy it quickly."
