According to a report from Japanese media outlet “FNN,” the long-term chaos in the Middle East has had unexpected consequences reaching as far as potato chip packaging. Japanese food giant Calbee has announced that starting from the 25th of this month, some potato chip packaging colors will be changed to black and white, primarily due to rising prices and shortages of necessary materials.
Yuki Tomita, the Deputy Commissioner for Economic Affairs at Fuji TV, stated that in light of this packaging change, Calbee had visited the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries that afternoon to provide explanations on the background of this decision and related matters.
Following this, Calbee released the new packaging style, transitioning from the previously vibrant designs to a monochromatic black and white style, adopting a subdued color scheme. This change will affect products such as “Potato Chips Lightly Salted Flavor,” “Consommé Punch,” and “Kappa Ebisen (Nori Flavored Shrimp Chips),” among others, totaling 14 items. The rollout of the new packaging will commence with shipments from May 25th.
The shortage in petroleum supply has already started to impact the printing of product packaging. By shifting from colorful to black and white, with subdued colors, in their food packaging, Calbee’s goal is evidently to ensure a stable supply of goods.
In addition to Calbee, major ham producer Itoham Mitoku Holdings also mentioned plans to “cut back on ink usage,” hinting that the use of bright colored packaging may become challenging in the future. They anticipate visible changes by the summer or fall seasons. Large seasoning manufacturers have also indicated intentions to “reduce the colors on new product packaging.”
Furthermore, beverage and snack manufacturers have acknowledged the need for “revising the color palette” and expressed the inability to completely rule out such changes.
The report also mentions that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries is currently conducting a survey on the materials used in the food industry, covering a total of 57 items. Opinions have been gathered from major corporations on 12 items, including cup noodle containers and PET bottles for beverages. The analysis results indicate that there are no current issues with the supply chain.