Japanese snacks go black-and-white: Why Iran war is driving up ink prices

The US-Israeli warfare connected Iran is draining the colour from Japan’s supermarket shelves, with the biggest crisp makers swapping once-vibrant packaging for monochrome arsenic a effect of a shortage of ink.

Tokyo-based Calbee, 1 of the astir fashionable brands successful the snack market, has said it volition – astatine slightest temporarily – power to utilizing achromatic and achromatic connected the packaging of 14 of its products, including its Calbee Potato Chips.

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Calbee is conscionable 1 of galore Japanese companies attempting to minimise the fallout from the faraway warfare successful Iran, which has triggered a planetary proviso shock. Since the extremity of February, erstwhile the warfare began, the Strait of Hormuz, done which one-fifth of the world’s lipid is shipped during peacetime, has been efficaciously shut.

The closure of the strait has affected Japan, which imports 40 percent of its naphtha, an lipid derivative needed to marque printing ink, from the Middle East.

So, wherefore is the Iran warfare driving up ink prices? And volition crisp packets beryllium colourful again?

What person Japanese companies said?

In a statement, Calbee said its determination to power to black-and-white packaging was a effect to “supply instability affecting definite earthy materials amid ongoing tensions successful the Middle East”.

“This measurement is intended to assistance support a unchangeable proviso of products,” the institution stated, adding that the caller products would rotation retired connected May 25.

Asked astir Calbee’s determination to simplify packaging to conserve materials, a authorities spokesperson said it was moving to plug proviso gaps and that imports ⁠⁠from countries extracurricular the Middle East were 3 times higher this period compared with earlier the warfare broke retired astatine the extremity of February.

“We person ⁠⁠not received immoderate reports of contiguous proviso disruption for printing ink ⁠⁠or naphtha and recognise that Japan arsenic a full has secured the quantities required,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kei Sato said.

“Relevant ministries are moving unneurotic and making efforts to pass intimately with impacted companies to grasp the situation,” helium said, ‌‌adding that a fact-finding proceeding would instrumentality spot connected Tuesday.

However, large ink and chemic producers person raised prices owed to the volatility successful lipid and state supplies from the Middle East.

US-based Sun Chemical, a large planetary shaper of ink and related products, said rising raw-material, logistics and vigor costs were forcing wide increases crossed merchandise lines.

Another starring specializer successful printing inks, Germany-based Hubergroup, besides announced a hike successful prices owed to cardinal components experiencing “substantial outgo increases” due to the fact that of proviso constraints.

“The standard and persistence of the existent outgo pressures marque terms adjustments unavoidable,” it said.

Potato crisp packages of Calbee Inc are seen astatine a convenience store successful Tokyo, Wednesday, May 13, 2026 [Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo]

Why person ink supplies dried up?

The shortages and terms increases caused by the warfare person affected supplies of cardinal ingredients utilized successful coloured inks, prompting companies specified arsenic Calbee to simplify packaging to conserve materials. However, the knock-on effects widen beyond snacks.

Printing inks trust heavy connected petrochemical feedstocks, including solvents and resins derived from naphtha, a crude lipid by-product.

Naphtha is besides utilized to nutrient plastics and synthetic rubber. It is indispensable for manufacturing high-octane petrol, and is an important concern solvent utilized successful paints and adhesives.

The US-Israeli warfare connected Iran has severely disrupted shipping and vigor flows done the Strait of Hormuz, done which one-fifth of the world’s lipid and state travel – and hence squeezing supplies of oil-derived materials utilized successful manufacturing, specified arsenic naphtha.

The important measurement of naphtha Japan imports from the Middle East makes Japanese manufacturers highly susceptible to the information concern there.

Iran efficaciously blocked the strait aft US-Israeli attacks began. The waterway remains blocked, contempt a fragile ceasefire agreed to connected April 8.

Since April 13, the US has enforced a wide naval blockade of Iranian ports and ships successful a bid to unit Tehran to unfastened the strait, aft talks betwixt Washington and Iran collapsed successful Pakistan, with US forces ordered to halt oregon divert vessels entering oregon leaving Iranian ports.

What other is driving up ink prices?

Another cardinal constituent utilized successful printing inks and coatings is nitrocellulose.

However, it is besides utilized successful subject propellants and explosives, meaning defence request tin impact availability for commercialized manufacturing.

Demand for nitrocellulose has intensified, particularly successful Europe, pursuing accrued NATO spending and Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, further tightening availability for civilian industries specified arsenic printing inks and packaging.