This year we celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the founding of Yakult.

It was more than 80 years ago and Dr. Minoru Shirota was convinced that beneficial bacteria were the key to a long and healthy life. His determination led to a breakthrough to successfully research a lactic acid bacterium with the ability to survive the strong digestive acids. The bacterium was named Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain. He then developed a fermented, milk-based drink to deliver the Shirota strain to the intestines and named it ‘Yakult’. Dr. Shirota had created the world’s first commercial probiotic drink, available in Japan in 1935. Today more than 30 million people in 33 countries enjoy drinking Yakult daily!

Celebrations for the 80th Anniversary will take place during the Yakult Convention in Japan in December. A number of staff from around Australian have been selected to attend the Convention, along with guests from around the world.

There’s also promotional signage on trams in Melbourne and buses in Sydney celebrating this special year. So keep your eyes open, you might see a Yakult tram when you’re in Melbourne or a Yakult bus while you’re in Sydney!

Tania King

Education Coordinator