Calbee to Switch 14 Products to Black-and-White Packaging

2026-05-11

Calbee will switch the packaging of its main snack products to a black-and-white design. In response to a shortage of printing ink tied to the Middle East crisis, the change will cover 14 products in total, including Potato Chips Light Salt and Consommé Punch.

Ink Materials Tighten

Crude oil prices are rising due to the impact of the U.S. and Israel's attacks on Iran, and with naphtha in short supply, supplies of solvents and resins used as raw materials for printing ink are dwindling. In particular, color inks for packaging are becoming harder to obtain.

Gradual Switch to Black and White

Starting with shipments on the 25th, packaging will be gradually changed to use only two colors, white and black. The products include Potato Chips Consommé Double Punch, Nori Shio, as well as "Kappa Ebisen," "Kataage Potato" Light Salt, and cereal product "Frugra." Calbee said, "As tensions in the Middle East intensify, some raw materials have become unstable. With the future of the Iran situation unclear, we will prioritize stable supply and respond quickly and flexibly."

Impact May Spread to Other Food Companies

Hiroyuki Urata, president of Itoham Yonekyu Holdings, also said at an earnings presentation on the 1st, "Going forward, colorful packaging will become difficult. There is a possibility it will shift to simple packaging such as black and white." The move to black-and-white packaging could spread beyond snacks and meat products to a wide range of food and consumer goods makers, including beverage companies.

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