# Yakult

Yakult (ヤクルト, Yakuruto) is a Japanese sweetened probiotic milk beverage fermented with the bacteria strain Lacticaseibacillus casei Shirota. It is sold by Yakult Honsha based in Tokyo. The name "Yakult" was coined from jahurto, an Esperanto word meaning "yogurt".

## Ingredients

Yakult's ingredients are water, skimmed milk, glucose-fructose syrup, sucrose, natural flavors (citrus), and live Lacticaseibacillus casei Shirota bacteria. The strain was originally classified as being Lactobacillus casei.
Yakult is prepared by adding glucose to skimmed milk and heating the mixture at 90 to 95 °C for about 30 minutes. After letting it cool down to 45 °C, the mixture is inoculated with the lactobacillus and incubated for 6 to 7 days at 37 to 38 °C. After fermentation, water, sugar, gums, and lactic acid are added.

## Health claims

In 2006, a panel appointed by the Netherlands Nutrition Center (Voedingscentrum) to evaluate a marketing request by Yakult found sufficient evidence to justify claims that drinking at least one bottle of Yakult per day might help improve bowel movements for people who tend to be constipated and might help maintain a healthy population of gut flora.
In 2010, a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel denied a request by the company to market Yakult as defending the upper respiratory tract against pathogens (in other words, protection against diseases like the common cold), finding the claim not supported by the evidence.
In 2013, the UK Advertising Standards Authority disallowed an advertisement for Yakult in response to a complaint. It found that while there was sufficient evidence for the claim that "significant numbers of viable [Lactobacillus] survived transit to the gut [after consumption of Yakult]", the advertisement had made claims of general health benefits without providing a specific, referenced claim, as required.

## Marketing history

Yakult was invented in 1935 in Japan by Minoru Shirota, who helped found the company Yakult Honsha for the purpose of commercializing it. Although Yakult is sold in Japan in supermarkets and convenience stores, it is also sold door-to-door in Japan, Asia, and Latin America in convenience stores.

### History

In 1930, scientist Minoru Shirota strengthened and cultured the Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain. Five years later, in 1935, Yakult began production in Japan. The company continued to expand, and in 1955, Yakult Honsha was established.
In 1963, Yakult introduced a home delivery service, employing "Yakult ladies" to distribute the product directly to consumers. The following year, Yakult expanded internationally, beginning sales in Taiwan. In 1968, the company opened its first factory outside Japan in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. This international growth continued in 1969 with the establishment of the Hong Kong Yakult Co Ltd and the founding of Korea Yakult in South Korea.
By 1981, Yakult had entered the Mexican market, opening a factory in the city of Ixtapaluca under the direction of Carlos Kasuga. Further expansion took place in 1994, with the product becoming available in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States.
In 2004, Yakult launched sales in New Zealand through its Australian operations. That same year, Yakult LIGHT was introduced in Australia, offering a lower-sugar alternative. In 2017, the company reformulated Yakult LIGHT to further reduce sugar and energy content, replacing sugar with Stevia.
In 2014, the company opened its first manufacturing facility in the United States, located in Fountain Valley, California.

### Relationship with Danone

In February 2018, it was reported that Danone planned to sell US$1.9 billion of its Yakult investment, reducing its stake from 21% to 7%. The plan was followed by a decline in Yakult's share value. Danone had first bought shares in Yakult in April 2000. The sale was completed in March 2018.

### In mass media

In September 2018, it was reported that the appearance of unlabelled Yakult bottles in the 2018 film To All the Boys I've Loved Before led to a rise in the drink's sales that coincided with a 2.8% increase in share price following the film's release on 17 August.
In January 2020, professional sumo wrestler Takakeishō Takanobu appeared in a television commercial advertising Yakult 1000.