Although the ‘unprecedented times’ of 2020 seem to have turned into the ‘precedented times’ of 2021, we all continue to grow and adapt to what this pandemic has thrown at us. Whilst it is crucial for us to be physically distanced, we have spent the last 18 months learning how to keep our social connections intact from afar.

Through the multitude of video calling programs such as Zoom, Teams, WebEx, Slack, Facetime and more, we have been able to keep up that personal connection but from a distance. Something that comes along with this technology is being able to customize our space. Whether it be a serious business meeting or just a catch up with friends, the ability to “choose” where you’re located through a virtual background has been a fun addition to any call.

With these calls becoming the new norm, we have decided to create a few Yakult inspired virtual backgrounds of our own! Adding on to our phone wallpaper series from 2020 (find in the downloads tab here), you can download and use our *kawaii* backgrounds here, here, and here!

                     Yakult Virtual Background 1                                        Yakult Virtual Background 2                                          Yakult Virtual Background 3

With calming colours and an artistic feel, our Yakult inspired office backgrounds are a great addition to your next video call. See how many bottles you can spot in background one or enjoy your very own Yakult patterned chair in background two!

You’re free to use these backgrounds to your heart’s content, and we’d love to see your screenshots of them in action!

Staying connected is important for our mental wellbeing, here are a few ways to take care of our mental health:

Don’t forget to reach out to professionals for free if you’re needing someone to talk to:

Lifeline on 13 11 14
Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
Headspace on 1800 650 890
QLife on 1800 184 527

In conjunction with National Science Week, running from 14th to the 22nd of August, Yakult Australia is offering some educational programs during the month of August to celebrate the theme Food: Different by Design.

Yakult Onsite Factory Tour (School Groups only) – Science

These sessions focus on Science and Lab Skills. Students will be able to experience hands-on practical tasks such as using the microscope, bacteria plate counting, taste evaluation and other quality control tests.

This program can be tailored to suit different year levels, from primary to secondary schools. Sessions are run:

• On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
• For approximately 90 minutes during school hours
• With a maximum of 20 students per session

Bookings are essential and subject to availability. Please contact education@yakult.com.au to book your session or if you have any questions.

Yakult Factory Guided Virtual Tour

Unable to join our factory in person? We also offer live, guided virtual tours every Tuesday at 4pm – 4.45pm, and Thursday 10am – 10.45am on Zoom. These tours are suitable for friends and families of all age groups.

During the virtual tour, we will introduce to Yakult, its history, and its benefits. We explain the manufacturing process of making Yakult while you get to look at the tanks and production lines where this all happens. Our guide will also be able to answer any Yakult-related questions during the session.

Book your session today here! If you have any question regarding this virtual tour, please feel free to contact us via 1800 640 023 (Australia) or 0800 925 858 (New Zealand).

If you wish to book for a private session for your school group, please contact education@yakult.com.au to arrange a suitable time and availability.

Every school holiday Yakult offers a program that attracts hundreds of visitors to explore our entire production process. Not only do people come from far and wide to see the intricate details of our factory but they also get to learn about the digestive system and healthy eating. This free program enables primary school age children and their parents the chance to explore one of Australia’s most well-loved drinks. In the recent June/July school holidays we had over 600 people take part in this program.

How is the program run?

The program in a 2-hour fun packed session where you get to experience how Yakult is created from start to finish. Our viewing platforms are designed to showcase the manufacturing processes and take you on a journey.

The school holiday program involves an educational aspect as we discuss the digestive system and engage in fun crafts for all ages. The session educates the children about healthy living and food in their daily life as well as getting creative with craft activities.

As part of our environmental sustainability, we use empty Yakult bottles to create an activity based around Yakult’s Japanese heritage. Yakult Man was a big hit in our educational cartoon on healthy eating emphasising the importance of a healthy diet and eating our vegetables. When Yakult Man wasn’t occupied with protecting our gut, he made a special appearance to take pictures with our visitors and help present the certificates of participation.

Want to be a part of the fun?

For those who have missed out this round and would like to experience this program, please follow our social media pages – Facebook and Instagram, to find out when the next School Holiday Program is open for bookings.  Alternatively send us an email to info@yakult.com.au to express your interest in upcoming programs.

Most of the population do not consume enough fibre. The Heart Foundation recommends adults should aim to consume approximately 25g-30 g/day. This might seem high but the average amount of fibre an Australian consumes daily is 20.7 grams (this equates to ½ cup of oats, 1 apple and 2 carrots). So how exactly do we get all this fibre into our diet? Good question! Let us start by considering what is fibre?

What is fibre?

Fibre is the indigestible parts of plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, grains, beans and legumes. Unlike other carbohydrates (such as sugars and starch), Fibre is not digested in the small intestine and reaches the large intestine or colon to be broken down. It is type of a carbohydrate that helps keep our digestive systems healthy.

How does fibre help our body?

• Fibre and other nondigestible carbohydrates help to slow the digestive process, which eases the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream. When glucose enters the bloodstream more slowly, cells are better able to use it for energy. This slow release is particularly important for individuals with diabetes in managing their blood sugar levels.
• Fibre keeps your colon healthy by adding bulk to stool (while also helping to block the absorption of potential toxins into your body) reduces your body’s absorption of toxins.
• Higher amounts of fibre consumed is associated with reduced chronic disease risk- such as heart disease, diabetes, and colorectal cancer.
• Some fibres (ie: prebiotics) also help to stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria and probiotics like the Lactobacillus casei

Ways to increase fibre intake:

There are many ways to increase the fibre content in your diet. Consuming 30g of fibre is the gold standard recommendation but even an increase of 7g of fibre a day has been shown* to reduce diet related diseases including:

• A 9% decrease in your risk of both heart attacks and cardiovascular disease
• Protection against colorectal cancer

What 7 g of fibre looks like:

• 1 large baked potato with the skin on
• ½ a cup of baked beans
• 1 large bowl of bran flakes and a piece of fruit

Consuming fibre is an important key to a healthy digestive system. Implementing additional foods into our diet that are rich in fibre can help to provide food for the good bacteria in our intestines and improve our quality of life. For more information go to  https://www.yakult.com.au/health-wellbeing/nutrition-lifestyle/

New advancements in research are always taking place in the food industry, it can be tricky to keep up to date with the latest findings. Probiotics and fermented foods have been popular in the media lately, although they are not the same the difference between them is unknown to many.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. When we consume probiotics, they increase the number of beneficial bacteria already in out gut. Live microorganisms may be present in many foods and supplements, but a good quality probiotic will always display the 3-part name of their specific characterised strain like the image above.

There are multi-strain probiotic products containing more than one strain, but this does not make them more effective than a probiotic product with a single strain. Likewise, a probiotic supplement might contain a higher number of live bacteria per serve compared to another product, but this is not necessarily better as the quality of the strain takes precedence. Choose a probiotic from a reputable brand and check with the manufacturer to ensure it contains sufficient amounts of live bacteria per serve.

What are fermented foods?

International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) defines fermented foods as those made through desired microbial growth and enzymatic conversions of food components. Fermentation is a chemical change that occurs to food products brought about from microscopic yeast and bacteria. Fermenting foods is often done to improve the shelf stability of the foods and to add to the character or flavour of the food.

Examples are kefir, kombucha and kimchi. Some of these foods may contain live microbes at levels that potentially provide health benefits, but if the fermentation process is done at home, it is hard to ensure the same consistent strain types at sufficiently high numbers to guarantee a health benefit. After the initial fermentation, some fermented foods are further processed (by pasteurisation, baking, or filtering) so they are no longer sources of live microbes. Although fermented foods may be good to consume as part of a healthy lifestyle, the number of benefits cannot be guaranteed as they may not meet the criteria of a probiotic.

Why are they important?

When the digestive tract has an unhealthy balance of bacteria it can compromise our health. Therefore, fermented and probiotic foods can be beneficial by maintaining a healthy balance of microbes. Yakult can help to replenish the beneficial bacteria in our gut and is classified as a probiotic. We use a well-researched strain and test the levels of live bacteria after fermentation to guarantee high numbers in the final product.

Interested in Mandarin-speaking Tours of Yakult?

Yakult Australia is happy to announce that we are now offering a limited number of Mandarin-guided factory tours in June. We want to provide Mandarin-speaking communities with the opportunity to come and explore the story of how Yakult is made.

We are located at 10 Monterey Road, Dandenong South, VIC. The hi-tech facility incorporates food processing equipment designed specifically for manufacturing Yakult, including Yakult’s distinctively shaped bottles, filling and packaging lines, culture, and quality control rooms.

Visitors will not only get to learn about probiotics and the benefits of drinking Yakult but will also get to watch the entire production process safely through our large viewing window. Everyone who visits will get to taste deliciously refreshing Yakult.

This is a unique opportunity not to be missed. Please invite your friends and family to come along. Tours run for approximately 1 hour. Limited spaces available, bookings are essential and subject to availability. More information here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/yakult-australia-factory-tours-mandarin–tickets-153565521609

感兴趣参观养乐多工厂吗？

我们很高兴地宣布，Yakult Australia六月将会有配备中文讲解的工厂参观活动。我们欢迎讲中文的朋友们前来参观和探索养乐多的生产和制造。

养乐多工厂位于10 Monterey Road, Dandenong South, VIC. 我们拥有养乐多专属的高科技食品生产线，包括制造养乐多形状独特的瓶子、罐装和包装养乐多的设备、培养益生菌和监控产品品质的环节。

参观者不单有机会学习和了解饮用养乐多及摄入益生菌的好处，还能透过专门设计的参观通道安全地观看养乐多完整的生产过程。每位访客都有机会免费品尝新鲜美味的养乐多。

机不可失，快快邀请您的家人和朋友一起来吧！参观大约持续一个小时，名额有限。请务必提前预约，确保时间合适。预约信息请点击此处: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/yakult-australia-factory-tours-mandarin–tickets-153565521609

After the year that has been, it has become even more imperative that we value the priority of our health.  Individually within our gut microbiota, there are billions of bacteria present, helping to maintain balance by keeping our gut healthy and in part also helping to support our overall wellbeing.

Gut inflammation
To support your health, your gut needs to contain a wide variety of good bacteria, and this diversity helps keep it balanced. When there is an imbalance, a reduction of beneficial bacteria to potentially harmful bacteria, the gut can become inflamed.

Inflammation is a defence mechanism that the body uses to fight against foreign matter. This can take place all over the body including our gut. Inflammation that is found in the gut has found to be more prevalent in individuals experiencing anxiety and depression which is highly present today when compared to the overall population.

Factors that can cause a reduction of beneficial bacteria include the natural aging process, stress, medications and a poor diet. While research has yet to identify the ideal gut bacteria combination, the impact of diet on the gut cannot be denied. Ensuring that we keep our gut healthy and happy has seen to make a huge improvement in our overall wellbeing.

What can we do to prevent gut inflammation?

One of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation comes not from a pharmacy, but from the grocery store. Ensuring a balanced diet is consumed will help our gut health thrive.

• Eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and protein sources are the ways to keep your gut happy.
• Avoiding highly processes foods such as processed meats and high sugar snacks
• Including some dairy, fish and using moderate amounts of olive oil
• Despite the small amounts being used in cooking, herbs and spices have a great impact on our gut as well as adding great flavour to our food.

Consuming a probiotic may also help with reducing inflammation in the gut. 70% of the immune system is found in the gut so it is not surprising that there is a strong relationship between digestive and immune health. Probiotics have the ability also to restore the balance in the gut and therefore have a potential role in the support and prevention of illness.

After a year of postponed events and cancelled plans, here at Yakult Australia, we were finally able to film our new upcoming commercial as well as additional informational videos for our consumers!

In our refurbished visitor viewing area, our ambassador Ian Thorpe and some of Yakult’s team members were able to co-star in the filming. Our wonderful staff from the Quality Control, Production, Administration and Public Relations teams all had starring roles alongside Yakult’s very own Yakult Man!

Filming, which took place at our Dandenong site, included shots outside and over the two levels of our production facility, as well as the education room. With a full production crew of camera, lighting, and sound staff; make-up artists; production assistants and directors, the refinement of the updated facility shone through during Ian’s filmed exploration.

Have a look at some behind the scenes shots from the filming:

Yakult’s starring staff include Alex – Quality Control; Arben – Quality Control; Chloe – Public Relations; Cor Nie – Public Relations; Dinah – Public Relations; Hardeep – Production; Jacinta – Administration; Matthew – Production

We also filmed a range of informational videos to cover some of our frequently asked questions, creating a fun and memorable way for everyone to learn about Yakult! Our updated visitor viewing area is also now open to the public again, so we hope that these sneak peek videos will entice everyone to come and visit us to explore Yakult’s inner workings.

Keep an eye out in the coming months for our new TV commercial and educational videos!

YOU ARE INVITED!

Yakult Australia is happy to announce that our factory tours are now running on site again and we want you to come and explore the story of how Yakult started.

Not only are the tours FREE, but you get to experience firsthand the step-by-step process of how the world-famous Yakult fermented milk drink is made. The factory tour includes a variety of features including unique food processing. It showcases the manufacturing and quality assurance areas, looks at the benefit of probiotics, gut health and more. Come discover the newly developed facility and try the deliciously refreshing Yakult made daily at our factory.

Yakult Australia is registered as a COVID safe business. Yakult is committed to contributing to the health and happiness of the community by sharing our knowledge and passion for gut health and probiotics while maintaining COVID safe guidelines.

If there are any questions regarding bookings or what the tours involve, check our tours page or email directly to info@yakult.com.au