Japan's largest snack maker, Calbee, has announced it will switch to black-and-white packaging for 14 of its flagship products by the end of May due to a shortage of ink ingredients caused by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war.
The company, known for its brightly coloured potato chip bags, said the move was forced by disrupted supplies of naphtha, a petroleum-derived ingredient used in printing ink. Japan relies on imports from the Middle East for about 40% of its naphtha consumption.
Calbee's decision made headlines across Japan, following a brief panic in March when another crisps brand temporarily stopped producing a popular snack due to difficulties procuring heavy oil for its factory.
A government spokesperson assured the public that domestic naphtha refining continues with stockpiled crude oil, and imports from outside the Middle East have tripled in May compared with levels before the war began in late February. Senior spokesperson Kei Sato said adequate supplies have been secured for important functions and that Japan is working with major corporations to import naphtha via routes other than the Strait of Hormuz.
Calbee, founded in Hiroshima in 1949, has grown into a snack giant with products sold across Asia, Europe and the US. It acquired UK's Seabrook Crisps in 2018 and recorded sales of 322.5bn yen ($2.04bn) in 2025. The company's shares dipped over 1% on the news, while the Nikkei 225 Index was up overall.
