Calbee's Packaging Goes Black and White

Calbee's new monochrome packaging starts on May 25

The US-Israel war against Iran is hitting everyone around the world harder. Everyday in Vancouver we hold our breaths as we see how much more expensive gas is at the pumps, fewer people can afford to dine in restaurants, and many have decided to plan their summer vacations at home than shell out for overseas travel.

In Japan, the dwindling supply of oil has led to famed potato chip brand Calbee to change the colour of its packaging. 

It is temporarily ditching the colourful packaging that usually lures consumers for a monochrome look for the foreseeable future because naphtha is needed in parts of the ink manufacturing process.

Naphtha is a petroleum byproduct that is crucial in plastic production, used in cigarette lighters, and fuel for camping stoves, among other uses.

And prices for naphtha in Asia have almost doubled since the conflict began on February 28, when oil shipments halted in the Strait of Hormuz.

Calbee's new black-and-white packaging -- which could become a collector's item -- will debut on May 25 in Japan.

In a statement Calbee said the design change was in response to "supply instability affecting raw materials amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products."

Before the conflict, Japan imported 40 percent of its naphtha from the Middle East. Last month Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the country is looking to diversify its sources outside to other countries such as the United States.

Picture of the Day: Scallop-flavoured Chips

Pan-fried scallop-flavoured chips, anyone?

This afternoon we had to pick up some groceries at T&T Supermarket, so my relative wandered the snack aisles while I went to stock up on some food we ran out of.

She came back with this bag of Lay's potato chips -- in scallop flavour.

Actually it's pan-fried scallop flavour. So precise.

We came home and she promptly opened the bag for us to try.

Sniffing the contents inside was a sweet seafood kind of aroma.

The thin chip also had a seafood taste, a hint of shrimp crackers, not specifically scallops.

Would we specifically buy this one? No, but it was fun to try!

 

Picture of the Day: Starting a Chippy New Tradition

Santa's open letter for chips instead of cookies

Saw this funny advertisement right next to the comics -- a ploy by chip company Frito Lay to get kids to buy more chips for Christmas instead of cookies. It even includes giant finger prints of a man who has eaten a bag of orange-flavoured chips.

It starts off saying it's "an open letter from Santa Claus 2023".

Santa has something to say to the world.

Santa is tired of cookies.

Just think of how many cookies Santa eats

on Christmas Eve, all across the world.

Wouldn't you be a little tired of them too

if you were in Santa's boots?

This year, Santa's wishing for chips.

And not chocolate chips.

Put out a bowl of something crunchy.

It's time to start a new tradition.

Speaking of traditions, how about some

Lay's Classic? Sometimes you just want something

simple. Or Cheetos Crunchy. Or Doritos Nacho Cheese.

Or put out a bowl of those wish chips you find

in bags of Miss Vickie's (my favourite).

Santa is writing this letter to ask you

to make a wish come true:

Give Santa a break from cookies.

There's a spot at the top of the

Nice List in it for you.

Then there's a signature that says "Santa Claus".

It's quite revolutionary to suggest that kids the world over should ditch the cookies for Santa and instead give him some potato chips. But perhaps the jolly man in the red suit really does want to eat something savoury instead. And maybe he doesn't want milk but strong coffee to stay awake the rest of Christmas Eve?

There goes the homemade cookies! 

We'll have to see if Frito Lay reports a bump in sales in January...