Sunday June 5th marks the second celebration of World Food Safety Day. This is a  day instated by the United Nations to draw attention to the prevention, detection, and management of Food Safety. Food risks, globally, can be minimised by ensuring appropriate food safety measures are taken by governments, businesses, and producers worldwide.

At Yakult Australia, Food Safety is an area we take seriously.  Consequently, there are stringent rules and regulations in place to ensure all potential risks are identified and any serious risks are detected using corrective action to maintain the safety and integrity of our product at every stage of the production process and beyond.

Our responsible production process involves implementing and adhering to an internationally recognized preventive Food Safety Program based off the HACCP guidelines. HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points.

–          Hazard Analysis is  possible dangers to health in the production process and to control them.

–          Critical Control Points (CCPs) are the points where  control can be applied, for example temperature level, so that the risk of a food safety hazard can be eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.

The business can measure these risks by using ‘points’ as critical confines in which to establish appropriate monitoring procedures. Documented precautions and procedures are produced and communicated throughout the organization to ensure that products are not subject to any hazards that might compromise its safety and/ or integrity.

Yakult Australia aims to maintain a consistently high standard of quality by performing more than 100 tests on each individual batch of Yakult. These quality control tests include a myriad of physical, biological and chemical tests which are centered around making sure that the exclusive Lactobacillus Casei Shirota (LcS) strain bacteria is always at the optimum levels with the consistent taste that you know and the same quality you can always depend on.

Yakult Australia is pleased to announce our website is now available in Mandarin and Vietnamese languages. To translate from default English, select “CN” or “VN” displayed on the top right hand corner. We hope our readership will enjoy the translated versions of our website.

Happy reading!
您可以从我们的网站获取更多信息
hưởng thụ!

2020 is shaping up to be a very different year. With most of us home together as a family, there comes a need for almost every snack and meal to be homemade (send help!) ?

To help uncover some new snack-time inspiration, we’ve created an interactive activity to get the kids involved and make fruit, veggies and probiotics the snack of choice.

Probiotics and prebiotics: what’s the difference?

Before we get to the activity, let’s quickly recap the role of probiotics and prebiotics.

Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that help the overall balance of bacteria in the digestive system, commonly referred to as the “good gut bacteria”. Whether it’s assisting digestive processes, reducing the number of potential harmful gut bacteria or supporting the immune system, probiotics have made a household name for themselves (and for good reason!). But what about prebiotics?

Prebiotics differ from probiotics and can be described as non-digestible fibres that help feed and encourage the growth of beneficial gut bacteria (probiotics). Prebiotics can be found in common foods such as bananas, apples, garlic, rolled oats, sourdough, wheat bran and barley.

It may help to visualise this relationship as a chain reaction. Prebiotics support good gut bacteria (i.e. probiotics) and probiotics help to reduce harmful gut bacteria and support overall health. They need each other! Hence, including both prebiotics and probiotic sources in your family’s diet is one of the easiest ways you can help to keep your intestinal microbiota happy ?

The digestive rainbow:
To help make prebiotics and probiotics the star of snack time, the Yakult Australia team has created an engaging way to teach kids about the organs of digestive system and gut friendly snacks: enter the digestive rainbow! At the end, pair your digestive rainbow with a refreshing probiotic drink and you’ve got the ultimate gut nourishing snack!

Instructions:

1. Print out the digestive system template here – (this document is spread over two pages with a landscape orientation).
2. Stick the pages together so the organs line up. Cover pages with plastic wrap or baking paper so its hygienic to place food on top of the printout
3. Chop up a variety of fruits and vegetables, aim to have something from each colour group (examples below)
4. For each organ, place a different coloured food to fill in the outline from the template.
5. Finished! Now you have a rainbow digestive system that you can enjoy for an afternoon snack

If you need some fruit and vegetable inspiration, check out the below food group colours:

• Red – tomatoes, apples, strawberries, raspberries, watermelon, capsicum
• Orange – oranges, mandarin, cantaloupe, apricot, carrot, mango
• Yellow – banana, capsicum, pineapple, nectarine
• Green – snow peas, broccoli, apple, capsicum, kiwi fruit, grapes, cucumber
• Blue/Purple – blueberries, blackberries, grapes
• White – nectarine

Have fun, get messy and don’t forget to tag us in your digestive creations via Yakult Instagram or Yakult Facebook

Our latest and final printed issue of Inside Matter is online now!

This edition of Yakult Australia’s biannual newsletter, Inside Matters, offers insight into our recent renovations at our Dandenong facility and tips from our in-house Nutrition team.

The team debunks the myths surrounding immunity and gut health in response to the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19 and introduces our new brand ambassador and Aussie Olympic favourite Ian Thorpe!

As this is our last printed edition of Inside Matters, sign up here to ensure you receive all the latest news from Inside Matters as they come out!

After several months of renovations, our revised factory viewing facility was unveiled March this year. Devised by Studio Jigen, the futuristic and innovative design encompasses modernistic graphics and pastels against clean, light filled spaces. If we dare say so – our factory looks pretty good! Click on the video below for a before and after comparison.

We look forward to welcoming you at our revamped viewing facility once restrictions have lifted.

We are used to having constant access to fresh foods at the supermarket. However, this is not always possible. As a result, this can leave us feeling lost on how to maintain a balanced diet in a time of shortage. We have our top tips on how to consume a balanced diet all year round with long life food.

Frozen Fruit and Vegetables

• Fruits and vegetables are essential in our diet to make sure we’re getting enough vitamins, minerals and fibre throughout the day. However, the shelf life on a lot of produce is very short and buying in bulk isn’t always an option. Thankfully, frozen fruits and vegetables are very readily available and can be stored for long periods of time.
• People often think that fresh is best, however, frozen fruit and vegetables have the same, and sometimes higher, levels of vitamins and minerals. In short, as they are snap-frozen right after picking, it locks in the nutrients that might usually breakdown over time.

Canned Beans and Legumes

• Tinned foods have a very long shelf life and have a very broad range of product offerings. There is often stigma surrounding tinned and canned foods, as it’s assume everything is highly ‘processed’ and poor quality. However, canned beans and legumes such as kidney beans, black beans and chickpeas are great sources of protein. They can also cut down preparation time dramatically.
• Look for low salt options where possible and rinse the salty brine off to reduce the salt even further.

Long Life Dairy

• People often think that if a milk is not kept in the fridge, it must be highly processed and bad for you. However, this is not the case! Long life milk is simply heat treated differently to refrigerated milks. It’s then sealed tightly, making it more stable and therefore can be stored on the shelf until opened. Luckily, the nutrients in both refrigerated and long-life milks stay the same, which makes long life milk a great option in a time of food shortages.
• Milk powder is another great option for long-life dairy. It can be kept in the pantry for long periods of time and be made up when needed.

Freezing foods

• Freezing food is a great way to extend the shelf-life of products without effecting their nutrient content. Meat, eggs and bread are great items that can be stored in the freezer until needed.

So next time that you’re shopping and can’t find your usual products, use these tips to make sure you still get to consume a healthy balanced diet, all year round!

As a result of the ongoing and uncertain nature of COVID-19, Yakult have made the decision to postpone the Ian Thorpe Competition. This postponement extends to both entrants and event date.

*Please be advised all competition entrants have been contacted regarding postponement and subsequent steps.  Please review our website for updated competition details, terms and conditions once a revised date has been confirmed.

Wishing you health and wellness,

Yakult Australia.

Following the recent escalation of COVID-19, Yakult Australia has made the considered decision to postpone all factory tours until further notice.

We wholeheartedly appreciate this news brings disappointment, particularly for those awaiting our factory refurbishment. However, during this time of uncertainty, protecting the health and well-being of our visitors, staff and the broader community is our utmost priority.

Yakult will continue to monitor advice released by Government and health services. We’re optimistic that this will pass in a timely manner, and we as a company have taken sensible precautionary measures to help protect community health and safety.

Yakult will continue to post updates on our website. We encourage you to monitor this resource and re-book online once tours resume. For any further enquiries please do not hesitate to contact us on 1800 640 023 or info@yakult.com.au.

Wishing you health and wellness at this time,

Yakult Australia

To mark Yakult’s partnership with five-time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe, Yakult Australia are thrilled to announce the Ian Thorpe Swimming Class Competition! Open to participants aged 8-12 years from Victoria only, we want YOU to show us your Do You Yakult moment!

TO ENTER: 

• Share a photo to Facebook and Instagram showing how your child enjoys Yakult
• In a 25 words or less caption, tell us how you Yakult!
• Use the hashtag #DoYouYakult on both posts
• Like the Yakult Australia Facebook page and follow Yakult Australia on Instagram
• Submit an entry form via this link

​The competition opens from 00:01AM AEDT Wednesday 26th February, 2020 and closes at 23:59PM AEDT Sunday 15th March, 2020. 12 lucky winners will be selected Monday 16th March, 2020 and contacted within two business days of selection. Winners will be published on the competition website within two business days of selection.

EVENT INFORMATION:

When: Wednesday 1st April, 2020 (Victorian school holidays)
Time: 10:30 – 13:30pm
Where: Melbourne Sports Aquatic Centre
The details: Winners will be separated in two groups of six. Each group will have a 45 minute group swimming lesson with Ian Thorpe.

For further details please see this link. Full terms and conditions are available here.

Good luck to all our entrants! #Howdoyouyakult?