{"id":7004,"date":"2026-06-18T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=7004"},"modified":"2026-06-18T08:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T15:00:13","slug":"7-eleven-japan-debuts-new-black-and-white-rice-ball-packagingbut-is-it-because-of-a-naphtha-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=7004","title":{"rendered":"7-Eleven Japan debuts new black-and-white rice ball packaging\u2026but is it because of a naphtha shortage?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Convenience store range strips everything back to basics, including the rice balls.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Just last month, Calbee<\/strong>, Japan\u2019s leading snack manufacturer, announced it would be switching to black-and-white printing on its potato chip packages<\/a> due to a shortage of naphtha, an oil-derived component used in the production of solvents and resins to make printing inks<\/strong>. Ever since then, consumers have been keeping their eyes peeled to see if the naphtha shortage, caused by tensions in the Middle East, would be draining the colour from any other products in the marketplace. So when 7-Eleven<\/strong> announced it would be launching a new range of onigiri rice balls in plain packaging<\/strong>, using only black, white, and silver ink, people were quick to make the connection.<\/p>\n

However, 7-Eleven says the simple new black, white and silver design is simply to reduce packaging costs and help keep prices down for the company and the consumer<\/strong>. It also aligns with the ethos surrounding the new rice balls, which focuses on simplicity by completely stripping them of seaweed<\/strong>, allowing customers to fully appreciate the texture, aroma and sweetness of every grain of rice.<\/p>\n

Taking a closer look at the range, it goes by the name \u201cGin Shari Musubi<\/strong>\u201d, where \u201cgin shari\u201d (literally \u201csilver rice\u201d) refers to premium white rice, and \u201cmusubi\u201d, a word often used interchangeably with \u201conigiri\u201d, evokes a more refined sensibility. The simple paper packaging certainly gives the lineup a different look to the chain\u2019s regular rice balls, but one downside that some people have been pointing out is it\u2019s hard to tell the difference between the varieties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Tuna Mayonnaise (160 yen [US$0.99])<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Grilled Salmon<\/strong> (181 yen)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Spicy Pollock Roe<\/strong> (181 yen)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Pickled Plum (160 yen)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Kelp in Soy Sauce (160 yen)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc Salted Rice Ball (146 yen)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc By comparison, most 7-Eleven rice balls are sold in packages that look like these.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While 7-Eleven openly admits it\u2019s reduced the number of ink colours used on the packaging in the new range, it\u2019s staying mum on whether any other factors contributed to the direction of the design. With companies reviewing their costs now more than ever, though, it remains likely that the naphtha shortage played at least a small part in the decision to go ahead with the stripped-back design. Still, if it reduces costs, safeguards against potential future risks, and ensures we\u2019re able to get a consistent supply of rice balls whenever we stop by a 7-Eleven, then personally, we don\u2019t mind the new-look design.<\/p>\n

Source: 7-Eleven Japan<\/a> via FNN<\/a> via Hachima Kikou<\/a>
\nFeatured image: 7-Eleven Japan
\nInsert images: 7-Eleven Japan, \u00a9SoraNews24<\/i>
\n\u25cf Want to hear about SoraNews24\u2019s latest articles as soon as they\u2019re published? Follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Convenience store range strips everything back to basics, including the rice balls. Just last month, Calbee, Japan\u2019s leading snack manufacturer, announced it would be switching to black-and-white printing on its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7004\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}