Calbee has switched its potato chip packaging to a two-color black-and-white design to maintain product supply amid printing ink instabilities [1].
The move highlights how geopolitical volatility in the Middle East can disrupt global supply chains for specialized industrial materials, affecting everyday consumer goods in Japan.
The company announced the change on May 12, 2026 [1]. The simplified packaging began appearing on store shelves in Sapporo, Hokkaido, the night of the announcement and continued rolling out during the week of May 12-13, 2026 [1], [2], [3].
According to the company, the decision was driven by instability in the procurement of naphtha-based printing ink [3], [4]. This specific ink supply has been disrupted by ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East [3], [4]. By reducing the number of colors used on the bags to just two [1], Calbee aimed to ensure that its snacks remained available to consumers despite the shortage of materials.
Retailers in Sapporo reported the arrival of the monochromatic bags in convenience store aisles shortly after the announcement [3]. The shift represents a tactical pivot to avoid empty shelves by sacrificing brand aesthetics for logistical stability.
Calbee did not provide a timeline for when the traditional multi-colored packaging would return. The company said the reduction in color was a necessary step to cope with the unstable procurement of essential printing materials [3], [4].
“Calbee has switched its potato chip packaging to a two-color black-and-white design”
This incident underscores the vulnerability of the 'just-in-time' manufacturing model to geopolitical shocks. Because naphtha is a derivative of crude oil, instability in oil-producing regions creates a ripple effect that reaches as far as the aesthetic design of snack food in Hokkaido. Calbee's decision to strip its branding down to black and white serves as a visible indicator of industrial stress, signaling that raw material shortages are now forcing companies to alter consumer-facing product identities to maintain operational continuity.
