Japanese Snack Packaging Turns Black-and-White Due to Iran War Ink Shortage
The ongoing conflict in Iran has led to a shortage of colored ink, affecting the packaging of snacks in Japan. Tokyo-based Calbee Inc., a major snack manufacturer, announced that it will switch to black-and-white packaging for 14 of its products starting May 25. This change is a response to the disrupted supply of naphtha, an oil-derived product used in ink production, due to the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Despite the packaging change, the contents of the snacks remain unchanged. Japan, heavily reliant on oil imports, has managed to maintain calm by leveraging its oil reserves, but the ink shortage highlights the broader impact of geopolitical tensions on global supply chains. 
