War in the Middle East turns Japanese potato chip packets black and white

The leading Japanese manufacturer of crisps is suffering the full brunt of the consequences of the war in the Middle East, forced to replace its emblematic orange and yellow bags with black and white.

The Calbee brand, essential in Japan, is known for its chips available in a multitude of flavors, from salt to seaweed to butter-soy.

But the company announced Tuesday that it would “revise packaging specifications” for certain products due to “instability in the supply of certain raw materials resulting from escalating tensions in the Middle East.”

The press release, which presents packets of gray chips, does not specify which raw materials are involved.

According to local media, the snack maker has seen its supply of printing inks compromised by shortages of naphtha, a petroleum by-product used in many sectors, notably for plastic packaging.

The packaging of some of its crisp ranges, as well as those of very popular shrimp snacks, will be redesigned in a monochrome version from the end of the month, the company said.

In total, 14 products will be affected, according to Calbee.

Another Japanese food company, Itoham Yonekyu Holdings, known for its charcuterie products, also told AFP that switching to black and white or using different types of inks for some of its products were among the options being considered in the future due to the conflict.

Iran’s blockage of the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage through which around a fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons normally transit, has disrupted supplies and caused prices to soar.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi previously said Tokyo should have enough naphtha-derived chemicals even beyond this year, after increasing imports from other regions.