Calbee, Japan’s largest snack maker, announced on May 12 it will temporarily switch 14 products including potato chips, kappa ebisen, and Frugra cereal to black-and-white packaging due to severe naphtha shortages triggered by the Iran war [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].

The shortage stems from disrupted oil supplies in the Middle East following an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since late February, after the US and Israel launched military action against Iran. The blockade has halted around 20% of the world’s oil supply, impacting the production of naphtha, a key raw material for printing inks [2, 3, 4, 6, 7]. About 40% of Japan’s printing ink depends on naphtha imports from the Middle East [2, 3].

Kei Sato, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, said domestic naphtha refining continues using stockpiled crude, and imports from outside the Middle East have tripled since the crisis began. Sato stated, "We have not received any reports of immediate supply disruption for printing ink or naphtha and recognise that Japan as a whole has secured the quantities required." He added that authorities are working with major companies to secure naphtha imports by alternative routes [2, 3].

Starting May 25, Calbee’s black-and-white packaged products will appear on shelves all over Japan [2, 4, 5, 6, 8]. The company emphasized the packaging change is temporary, ensuring "stable product supply amid ongoing constraints affecting certain packaging materials" with no compromise to product quality or safety, said spokesman Kai Maraun [4, 9, 10, 6].

The shortage has also affected other Japanese companies including automakers such as Toyota, and food firms like Itoham Yonekyu. Some have reported profit losses, product suspensions, price hikes, and even business shutdowns [4, 9, 10, 5, 6, 11]. Another snack brand briefly halted production in March due to oil procurement issues [2, 3].

Founded in 1949 in Hiroshima, Calbee recorded sales of 322.5 billion yen (~$2.04 billion) in 2025 [3]. The company’s packaging change marks a concrete response to the ongoing raw material constraints caused by geopolitical tensions.

Calbee’s monochrome-packaged products will begin reaching stores across Japan on May 25.