From Diet Coke To AI Chips: How The Iran War Is Causing Critical Global Shortages

From snack packaging to AI chips, the Iran War's supply chain blockades are causing severe global shortages across consumer and industrial goods. Calbee, Japan's biggest snack maker, on Tuesday warned its products will switch from their famously colorful packaging to black-and-white labels by the end of the month due to an Iran war-spurred shortage of an ink ingredient, the latest disruption to hit the supply chain due to the conflict in the Middle East. The packaging change is reportedly due to a shortage of naptha, an ink ingredient derived from petroleum, of which Japan imports 40% of its consumption from the Middle East via the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel that has been closed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran at the end of February. The closure of the strait has caused other shortages around the world, including in India, where a lack of the aluminum needed to make cans has led to a scarcity of Diet Coke and spurred "Diet Coke parties," where the drink is treated as limited-availability item and often sold at significant markups. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices