Food makers changing food packaging amid naphtha supply woes

Calbee Inc. plans to adopt monochrome packaging for 14 of its products, including its salt-flavored potato chips, starting late this month.

The new design will eliminate the potato-inspired character that has long been featured on the packaging.

"It's not that ink and solvents are in short supply, but we're preparing for the risk of supply disruptions," a spokesperson for the company said.

Kagome Co. will replace most of the exterior packaging of its mainstay tomato ketchup product with a transparent design.

Nisshin Seifun Welna Inc. will stop printing the boiling time on the tape that binds servings of dried pasta and noodles.

"Changing packaging materials and reducing the product lineup may become options depending on the situation," said a spokesperson for Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., the parent of Nisshin Seifun Welna.

Naphtha is refined from crude oil and used to make various oil-related products, including organic solvents for ink. Shinichi Takei, a senior official of the Japan Printing Ink Makers Association, said that a shortage of such raw materials is "unlikely."

However, an increasing number of food manufacturers are rushing to secure inventories due to concerns about possible future shortages, exacerbating procurement instability.

Meanwhile, Mizkan Holdings Co. suspended the sale of four "natto" fermented soybean products this month, due to concerns over the supply of containers and packaging materials.

Restaurant chain Watami Co. plans to replace the lids on "bento" boxed meals in its delivery business with removable film to reduce the amount of plastic usage.