Calbee Ditches Colour Packaging as Iran War Chokes Ink Supply

BBC Business reported Tuesday that Calbee, Japan’s largest snack manufacturer, will shift to black and white packaging for 14 of its products from 25 May. The move is a direct consequence of the Iran war disrupting supplies of naphtha, a key raw material used in printing ink.

Iran War Squeezes a Critical Industrial Input

Naphtha is a petroleum byproduct refined from crude oil. It underpins manufacturing across inks, plastics, and adhesives. Since hostilities between Iran and US-Israeli forces began on 28 February, effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off tanker traffic through one of the world’s busiest energy corridors. Asian naphtha prices have nearly doubled since the conflict began, according to BBC Business, placing intense cost pressure on manufacturers across the region.

Calbee said the packaging redesign was driven by “supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.” The company added that the step was meant to preserve product availability on shelves.

Japan’s Deep Exposure to Middle East Petrochemicals

The impact on Japan is especially acute. Before the conflict, roughly 40% of Japan’s naphtha arrived from the Middle East, according to the country’s deputy chief cabinet secretary Kei Sato. He told reporters the government was working to smooth out supply bottlenecks. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in April that Tokyo was already courting alternative naphtha suppliers, including sources in the United States.

Japan’s food sector has felt the strain beyond packaging. Fermented soybean producer Mizkan suspended certain product lines on 1 May and raised prices on others after polystyrene containers became scarce.

Broader Corporate Casualties Mount Globally

The supply chain fallout from the Iran conflict has spread well beyond Japan’s snack aisles. Automakers Toyota and Hyundai have flagged higher input costs and softer sales. Airlines worldwide have grounded or rerouted flights as jet fuel prices surge. UK fashion retailer Next raised prices by as much as 8% in markets outside Europe, citing elevated fuel costs and disrupted logistics.

The Calbee announcement illustrates how a geopolitical rupture in the Persian Gulf can travel swiftly down global supply chains and land on supermarket shelves. Analysts warn that unless the Hormuz shipping lane reopens, further product reformulations and price increases remain likely across consumer goods categories throughout Asia and beyond.

Read Next: Oil Price Predicted to Remain Above $100 for Rest of Year