- Leading Japanese snack manufacturer Calbee is transitioning its product packaging to a monochrome (black-and-white) design starting at the end of May 2026 due to a critical shortage of packaging inks and rising manufacturing costs.
- The shortage is driven by regional conflict affecting Middle Eastern petroleum exports, specifically limiting the availability of naphtha, a key hydrocarbon solvent required for high-speed, multi-color industrial printing applications.
While we’ve written about soaring plastic prices in the wake of the US and Israeli war on Iran, it looks as if another packaging-related supply has taken a hit—inks.
Japanese snack brand Calbee has announced that it will temporarily change its packaging design, removing all color from its bright, vibrant chip bags that consumers have known and loved for years. Now, the brand will use black-and-white monochrome packaging due to an ink shortage. Citing rising manufacturing costs and material shortages, many Japanese companies are trying to navigate supply disruptions while stabilizing their operations.
