TOKYO, July 9 -- Calbee's brief black-and-white era is almost over.

The Japanese snack giant has announced it will start bringing back its signature colourful packaging later this month after supply concerns that prompted the temporary switch began to ease.

The company had announced the monochrome makeover on May 12, citing uncertainty over the supply of printing materials as tensions in the Middle East disrupted the availability of petroleum-based printing ink.

Now, with its procurement outlook improving, Calbee says it will gradually restore full-colour printing to the front of selected products while continuing to conserve resources.

The first batch includes eight products, among them its best-selling Potato Chips, Kappa Ebisen shr...