A popular Japanese snack brand is turning to monochrome packaging for the Iran-National war
A major Japanese manufacturer is switching its usually colorful packaging to black and white due to a shortage of colored ink caused by the Iran war.
Tokyo-based Calbee announced Tuesday that it will use only two ink colors in 14 of its products, including its chips, Kappa Ebisen snacks and Frugra breakfast, known for their distinctive multi-hued designs.
The printing ink used to produce colored packaging requires naphtha, an oil derivative, which Japan imports from the Middle East to meet about 40 percent of its consumption.
Calbee snacks are sold in Japan.
Edmond So/South China Morning Post via Getty Images
Products with revised packaging will hit store shelves starting May 25, the company said.
Calbee, which has the largest share of Japan’s domestic food market, said the move was aimed at keeping exports stable amid supply disruptions affecting “certain raw materials” due to the US-Israel war in Iran.
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Several Japanese companies have sought to reduce spending and eliminate shortages by developing creative, cost-cutting solutions. Last month, chip brand Yamayoshi Seika temporarily halted production of the popular snack due to difficulties in obtaining the heavy oil needed to run its factory.
Similarly, Japanese food maker Mizkan halted sales of some products and raised prices on others due to a shortage of polystyrene containers and the rising cost of petrochemical products, the Japan Times reported.
Asked about Calbee’s decision, a Japanese government spokesman told Reuters that domestic naphtha refining continued to use stockpiled crude oil, while imports from the Middle East tripled in May compared to levels before the Iran war began in late February.
“We have not received reports of immediate disruptions in the supply of printing ink or naphtha and we note that Japan as a whole has received the necessary amounts,” said Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato.
“The relevant ministers are working together and making efforts to communicate with the affected companies to understand the situation,” he said, adding that a fact-finding hearing would be held on Tuesday.
Asian countries’ supply chains have been hit hard by shipping disruptions due to the conflict, as the region relies heavily on the Middle East for oil and energy exports.
The effects of conflict have increased in many industries, including commerce.
Jet fuel prices have increased, affecting flight schedules and causing some airlines, including Air Canada, to suspend select routes, including Vancouver to Raleigh, Toronto to Sacramento, Toronto to Charleston, and Montreal to Austin.
Flights from Toronto and Montreal to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York were also suspended on April 17, with plans to resume on October 25.
The war also affected supplies of helium, a gas widely used in the technology industry, as well as fertilizers, paint, electronics, aluminum, and plastics, among others.
– via files from Reuters
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