Overview
- Major brands are cutting packaging and switching materials as ink and plastic supplies tighten, with Calbee moving to black-and-white bags and Lawson using paper lids for hot coffee.
- The squeeze is already limiting what shoppers can buy, as Gyoza No Manshu halted refrigerated dumplings in the Kanto region.
- Companies say they will pass on higher costs to consumers, with Mizkan planning up to 20% price hikes for natto and Takanofoods raising prices by 15%.
- Official indicators point to a sharp supply shock, with Middle East volatile-oil imports to Japan down 36.9% and domestic naphtha prices about 80% higher than in February.
- Industry groups report solvent demand surging and warn of hoarding, and analysts urge targeted support for small suppliers even as the government seeks to diversify sources.