Calbee's new black-and-white Potato Chips packaging, foreground, with the existing design behind it. The change begins with late-May shipments.
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Japanese snack maker Calbee announced on May 12 that it will gradually switch the packaging of 14 major products, including Potato Chips and Kappa Ebisen, to a simple black-and-white design, starting with shipments in late May.
The move comes as worsening tensions in the Middle East have disrupted naphtha supplies, a petroleum-derived material used to make plastics and printing ink. As a result, the supply of raw materials for packaging ink has become unstable.
Packaging Disruption Could Spread
The impact is already being felt across a wide range of everyday products, including food.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which oversees the food industry, questioned Calbee officials on May 12, in an apparent effort to assess whether the disruption could spread.
Since naphtha is used to make plastics and printing ink, packaging shortages could affect other food makers as well. If consumers accept Calbee's simplified design, similar measures may spread across the industry.
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Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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