When was the last time a war changed the colour of a snack packet?
That’s exactly what’s happening in Japan right now.
Calbee, one of the country’s biggest snack makers, says it will temporarily switch to black-and-white packaging.
For some of its popular crisps and prawn crackers.
The reason isn’t design choice — it’s supply disruption linked to the ongoing Iran conflict and its ripple effects across global trade routes.
From 25 May, 14 products will hit shelves in simplified packaging because a key ingredient used in printing ink has become harder to source.
That ingredient, naphtha — derived from oil refining — is now in short supply after disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
And this is where the story widens.The conflict has pushed oil and gas prices sharply higher.
And that pressure is now creeping into unexpected corners of daily life — from snack wrappers to car parts.
Supply Chain Costs Rise
As one Japanese official noted, “We are working to stabilise and resolve supply bottlenecks,” but the reality is already visible.
Japan used to rely on the Middle East for around 40% of its naphtha imports.
Other companies are feeling it too. Food makers are cutting products, car manufacturers are seeing rising costs.
And airlines are adjusting operations as fuel prices climb.
So here’s the bigger question — when global conflicts start changing something as simple as a packet of chips, how far does the impact really go before it reaches your own shopping basket?
