Japan's top potato chip maker is feeling the impact of supply shortages linked to the Iran war, swapping its signature orange-and-yellow packaging for black-and-white designs.
A household name in Japan, Calbee is known for its savory potato chips with an array of flavors from seaweed salt to soy sauce and butter.
The company said Tuesday it will "revise the packaging specifications" and use just "two colors" in packaging for 14 product lines beginning later this month or in June.
It did not say which two colors, but the statement showed photos of grey packaging.
Calbee, which has the largest share of the domestic snacks market, blamed "supply instability for certain raw materials resulting from the escalating tensions in the Middle East."
Local media said the snack maker has seen its procurement of printing ink compromised by shortages of naphtha, an oil byproduct used in a wide range of industries.
The goods affected included several potato chip products, as well as a breakfast cereal and Kappa Ebisen, a moreish shrimp snack known for the slogan "can't stop, can't stop."
"We will continue to respond swiftly and flexibly to changes in the business environment, including geopolitical risks, while striving to deliver safe, reliable, and satisfying products," the company said.
Japanese companies have lately sought to minimize the impact of rising costs and input material shortages even as the government seeks to reassure the public and businesses over supplies.
Printing ink requires naphtha, for which Japan relies on imports from the Middle East for about 40% of its consumption.
Calbee's Potato Chips are instantly recognizable for their multi-hued designs featuring product images on backgrounds that can be orange and yellow.
News of the 77-year-old company's move made headlines across Japan. It followed a brief panic in March among fans of a different crisps brand that temporarily stopped producing a popular snack, citing difficulties in procuring the heavy oil needed to run its factory.
Another Japanese food company, Itoham Yonekyu Holdings, also told Agence France Presse (AFP) that going black-and-white or using different kinds of inks for some of its products were among possible options in the future, similarly blaming supply problems due to the Middle East conflict.
Roughly a fifth of the world's oil normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and its de facto closure since the war began in late February has triggered a global energy crisis.
Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi previously said Tokyo was expected to have enough naphtha-derived chemical products to last beyond the end of the year after boosting imports from outside the Middle East.
Last week, Takaichi said that the global oil supply squeeze was inflicting an "enormous impact" on the Asia-Pacific region.
Asked about Calbee's decision, a government spokesperson said domestic naphtha refining continues with the use of stockpiled crude oil, while imports from outside the Middle East have tripled in May compared with levels before the Iran war broke out.
"We have not received any reports of immediate supply disruption for printing ink or naphtha and recognize that Japan as a whole has secured the quantities required," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato said.
"Relevant ministries are working together and making efforts to communicate closely with impacted companies to grasp the situation," he said, adding that a fact-finding hearing would take place on Tuesday.
Calbee said company representatives visited the Farm Ministry on Tuesday for an informal meeting, but it had no details to share.
