The packaging on some of Japan’s most popular snacks is turning a somber black-and-white. What is inside the bag remains the same. The chips are still crispy. The flavor is unchanged. But the bright, cheerful colors that once screamed “buy me” are gone.
The reason? A war on the other side of the world.
Tokyo-based Calbee Inc., which makes potato chips and cereal, announced that it is stripping color from 14 products in its lineup due to disruptions in the supply of an ingredient used in colored ink. The change will start on May 25, limiting ink colors to just two. The company said the measure is necessary to respond flexibly to changing geopolitical conditions.
How long the change might last remains unclear.
The Snacks Affected
There is no mistaking the stark change in the packaging. Calbee’s lightly salted chips, known as “usu shio,” originally came in a bright-orange bag with an image of yellow chips and a potato-man mascot wearing a hat. The new packaging features monochrome lettering. No orange. No yellow. No mascot.
The company, which also makes shrimp chips or “kappa ebisen,” had just announced an ambitious growth strategy in March. Now, it is focused on survival — not of the company, but of its supply chain.
Calbee’s popular snacks are available in Japan’s ubiquitous convenience stores and are shipped to the United States, China, and Australia. The change will affect products on shelves across the country and beyond. What was once a colorful aisle of snack options will now feature rows of black-and-white packaging.
The Ink Crisis
The move is the latest example of how the war in the Middle East is reaching into every corner of the global economy. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked maritime traffic, disrupting the supply of oil and oil-derived products. Japan, which relies almost entirely on imports for its oil, is facing a particular squeeze on naphtha — an oil-derived product used in items like plastics and ink.
The war in Iran has already caused oil prices to spike. It has forced governments to release strategic reserves. It has disrupted shipping lanes and sent tankers fleeing. Now, it is changing the color of potato chip bags in Tokyo.
Japan has so far ridden out the worries relatively calmly, as the government has worked to allay fears by noting the nation’s oil reserves. But the naphtha shortage is real. And Calbee is not the only company that will feel it.
The Company’s Response
Calbee’s statement was careful and measured. “This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products,” it said. “Calbee will continue to respond flexibly and promptly to changes in its operating environment, including geopolitical risks, and remains committed to maintaining a stable supply of safe, high-quality products. We ask for your understanding.”
The company, founded in 1949, employs more than 5,000 people. It is not a small operation. Its decision to strip color from 14 products is not trivial. It is a sign that the supply chain disruption is serious enough to affect even the most mundane aspects of daily life.
What is inside the bag remains the same, Calbee insists. But packaging is not just wrapping. It is marketing. It is brand identity. It is the first thing a customer sees. A black-and-white chip bag does not scream “snack time.” It whispers “crisis.”
The Bigger Picture
The Calbee announcement is a small story in the context of a major war. No one is dying because their potato chip bag is no longer orange. But the change is a reminder that global conflicts have unexpected consequences. The war in Iran is not just about missiles and blockades. It is about naphtha. And naphtha is about ink. And ink is about the color of a snack bag in a Tokyo convenience store.
The supply chain is global. A disruption in the Strait of Hormuz affects a factory in Japan. A shortage of oil-derived products affects a product as simple as a bag of chips. The war is far away. Its effects are not.
The Bottom Line
Calbee Inc., one of Japan’s largest snack manufacturers, is stripping color from 14 products in its lineup due to disruptions in the supply of an ingredient used in colored ink. The change, which begins May 25, is a direct consequence of the war in Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked the supply of naphtha — an oil-derived product used in plastics and ink.
Calbee’s popular lightly salted chips, originally sold in a bright-orange bag, will now feature monochrome lettering. The company says the measure is necessary to maintain a stable supply of products. How long the change will last is unclear.
