19 June 2014

Yakult Light and Some Fun Facts About Our Favorite Drink


A week before my girl's school officially starts, we were luckily invited to tour the Yakult Plant in Calamba, Laguna. I immediately replied to the email sent to me and said yes! I love Yakult, Pia loves Yakult, it was a Saturday and it was the perfect timing to have a free 'field trip'. I have no reason to say no. I told my little travel buddy days before about it and even showed her the e-vite. She was super excited that there were no complaints and grumpiness when I woke her up super early on the d-day. 

Yakult provided their guest bloggers the ride to and fro the plant. We were seated in the middle beside one of the company's corporate lawyers. Hi, Attorney Divine! She and my funny babe instantly clicked. We were laughing almost the whole time we traveled. We also had fun making kwentuhan with Kuya Alex, the driver and John (the king of pop hahaha) from Yakult Philippines' Marketing Department. 

When we arrived at the plant, the little kid inside me felt so alive. I love going to factories, watching how things were made from step 1. We were led first to a conference room for a quick snack and some probiotic-discussion. There were unlimited supply of Yakult! I think Pia drank a total of 10 bottles in an hour. Hep, worry not my royalties! According to Ms. Bella, the Manager of Yakult Philippines' General Affairs (sorry I forgot her full name), there's no such thing as Yakult overdose. There may be some instances that babies throw up after drinking it, but it's because they're already full and can't take so much food or liquid anymore. What the founder, Dr. Minoru Shirota, actually wanted us to do is drink a bottle of it every day. Yes, para every day, OK! The mission of Yakult is to help people maintain their health with the use of preventive medicine, such as the LACTOBACILLUS CASEI SHIROTA STRAIN that can be found in this everybody's favorite drink.


There were questions during the discussion and Ms. Belle gladly answered. Here are some of it:
Q:We want more Yakult, can we have like a liter size of it?
A: Other countries have that but originally, Dr. Shirota wanted this to be as affordable as it can to be available for all kinds of consumers, thus the size and price. 
Q: Is it safe for babies?
A: Yes. You may start introducing a teaspoon of Yakult to your baby when she's already in the weaning stage. 
Q: What goodness does Yakult give aside from giving us a healthy tummy?
A: The live microorganisms in each bottle can help strengthen our body's immune system. 
Q: Why is the bottle shaped like that?
A: It was patterned from Kokeshi dolls. 
Q: Where does the milk come from?
A: Quality milk from New Zealand 
Q: How long can we keep Yakult?
A: It has 45 days shelf life, preferably in a cool storage. 
Q: Do you recycle your bottles?
A: Our bottles are made in the plant so it's guaranteed clean. No, we don't recycle.  
Q: Where are the foil covers made?
A: They are from Korea and Japan.

After our Japanese feast (yes we super had a looooot!), the surprise was finally revealed! After 35 years of serving the Filipinos the yummy, affordable drink that is the regular citrus-tinged Yakult, Yakult Philippines now launches Yakult Light! According to Yakult Japan’s Taku Otsuka, who came here for the product launch, the Philippines is the second country in the Southeast Asian region to have Yakult Light. It has been sold in the markets of other countries such as, United States, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia.


It is still the same drink that we loved except for the packaging, price and sugar and calorie content. It is the much healthier version of it. Low calories and less sugar, I actually now preferred this for my daughter. Its suggested retail price is Php10 and will eventually be available nationwide by 2015. As of now, I haven't seen a nearby supermarket sell Yakult Light yet but they said that it'll be available in Metro Manila this month. So let's just wait... and hoard. That's right, it's light! :)

6 comments:

  1. That was one great experience. Same taste lang ba yung yakult light? Naintriga naman ako. =)

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    1. Almost! It's lighter but still the same yummy Yakult we love. ♥

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  2. Do post more kid-friendly recipes, Denise. I recently tried the burger patty recipe and it was a hit with my kid. Healthier than McDo :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Chrystal! I will. Thank you for reminding me. ♥

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  3. Oops, I meant to post this in the next entry, the one with your new cookbook!

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  4. Looks fun!! I hope I'll get to visit their plant too (:

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