Calbee Potato Chips Going Black-and-White: The Ripple Effects of Japan's Naphtha Shortage
Calbee Potato Chips Going Black-and-White: The Ripple Effects of Japan's Naphtha Shortage
Calbee, one of Japan's most iconic snack brands, has announced it will switch the packaging of its flagship products to a two-color monochrome (black and white) design in response to a critical shortage of printing ink raw materials driven by the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. The story has drawn over 100,000 searches on Google Trends in Japan.
Search Trend
| Country | Search Volume |
|---|---|
| 🇯🇵 JP | 100,000+ |
Source: Kiolix Pulse
What Happened
On May 11, 2026, Calbee — one of Japan's largest snack food manufacturers — notified retailers and distributors that it would begin transitioning the packaging of 14 of its major products from full-color designs to a two-tone black-and-white (monochrome) format. The change applies to shipments from May 25, 2026 onward, with products gradually appearing on store shelves from late May to early June. Multiple major Japanese media outlets reported the story.
The news spread rapidly across social media, prompting an unusual moment: Kyoko Shimbun (虚構新聞), Japan's well-known satirical news outlet, posted on its official account to clarify that this was "a real news story" — a telling sign of just how surreal the situation felt to the Japanese public.
The Root Cause: Naphtha Shortage
The driving force behind the packaging change is a severe shortage of naphtha — a petroleum-derived substance and a key raw material for the solvents and resins used in printing inks.
Naphtha is produced during the oil refining process. As tensions in the Middle East have escalated — including attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran — crude oil prices have surged, destabilizing the global supply of naphtha and, by extension, the printing ink supply chain.
Calbee determined that continuing to use full-color, multi-ink printing would risk depleting its ink stockpile entirely, potentially forcing a halt in packaging production and product shipments. Switching to two-color monochrome printing significantly reduces ink consumption, allowing the company to maintain stable product supply as an emergency measure.
Affected Products and Timeline
According to the notification Calbee sent to retailers, 14 products in total are affected. The major items confirmed so far include:
- Potato Chips Lightly Salted (うすしお味)
- Potato Chips Consomme Punch (コンソメパンチ)
- Potato Chips Nori Salt (のりしお)
- Kataage Potato (堅あげポテト)
- Kappa Ebisen (かっぱえびせん)
- Other flagship products, totaling 14 SKUs
As of May 12, 2026, Calbee has not publicly released the complete official list of all 14 affected products.
Only the exterior printed packaging is changing — the taste, weight, and price of all products remain the same. Existing color-packaged inventory will sell through first, with monochrome versions replacing them gradually on store shelves.
Additional Impact: New Product Launch Cancelled
Beyond the packaging change, Calbee has also cancelled the planned July 2026 launch of a new product — Potato Chips Sour Cream Flavor — citing uncertainty in securing the multi-color printing ink required for new product packaging.
Potential Industry-Wide Spread
There are growing concerns that Calbee's move could signal a broader shift across the food industry. A survey released in late April by Seidanren (生団連), a coalition representing many of Japan's food and beverage manufacturers, found that if naphtha procurement instability continues, more than 70% of member companies would consider raising product prices, and over 40% would review content volumes or product specifications. According to Nikkei, Ito Ham (伊藤ハム) is also reportedly exploring similar packaging simplifications.
Industry analysts note that stabilizing naphtha supply will require both a calming of tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and a successful shift to alternative U.S.-sourced naphtha procurement routes. The monochrome packaging could remain in place for the rest of 2026 at minimum, with some projections extending into the first half of 2027.
Public Reaction
Reactions on social media have been dominated by surprise and a sense of loss. Many users expressed that the familiar colorful designs feel like part of the product's identity, and comments such as "the effects of the Middle East conflict have reached my snack bag" have been widely shared. At the same time, once consumers understood that the taste and price remain unchanged, many accepted the situation as an unavoidable measure under the circumstances. The fact that even Japan's foremost satirical news site felt compelled to verify the story as real underscores just how unexpected this development has been.
Trend Data
You can follow the real-time search trend for this story on Kiolix Pulse.
Sources
- Nikkei — Calbee to Switch Potato Chips and Other Products to Black-and-White Packaging; Ito Ham Also Considering Changes (May 11, 2026): https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC118M20R10C26A5000000/
- Kyodo News / Yahoo! News Japan — Calbee Potato Chip Bags to Go Two-Tone Black and White, Naphtha Shortage Cited (May 11, 2026): https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/2df5fa4b47e4cd69bc1a60d4da924b23725ea257
- J-CAST News — Even Kyoko Shimbun Surprised: "This Is Real News" (May 12, 2026): https://www.j-cast.com/2026/05/12514587.html
- KHB Higashi Nihon Broadcasting — Calbee Potato Chips Packaging to Go Black and White Due to Middle East Naphtha Supply Shortage (May 11, 2026): https://www.khb-tv.co.jp/news/16555957
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