Hard to swallow

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Asian families have long been familiar with probiotics – live bacteria and yeasts, often added to yoghurts or taken as food supplements to restore the natural balance of the gut. This is largely thanks to Yakult, a fermented milk product that originated in Japan and has been sold door-to-door across Asia for decades.

These door-to-door sales are carried out by ‘Yakult Ladies’, of which there are more than 80, 000 worldwide – including 40, 000 in Japan. Yakult Ladies were originally hired as a sales-force to convince sceptical consumers that bacteria wasn’t always harmful – and, in fact, could be healthy. These women are trusted by local people because they are recruited from the same regions, so can communicate easily with households – not only about the products, but about issues related to their communities.

Now, with the ongoing urbanisation of Asia – plus higher disposable incomes and heightened consumer interest in health products – sales of commercial probiotics has ...