Orange out, peach in: Yakult Singapore to roll out first flavour change since 1980

If you're a fan of Yakult's orange flavour, you'll need to stock up before it is gone for good.

Come July, the Japanese probiotic drink retailer will replace the orange flavour with a new peach flavour.

This is the first time Yakult is changing its flavour lineup in Singapore since it was launched in 1980.

The decision to make this swap came after evaluating different flavour options, Yakult Singapore's managing director Masaaki Sunami told The Straits Times.

Although the orange flavour has built up a loyal following over the years, the company had to choose between the orange or peach flavour due to production capacity constraints at its Singapore factory, he said.

Yakult found that the peach flavour had performed very well in other markets and was particularly popular with consumers internationally.

"We understand that some consumers may miss the orange flavour, especially those who have enjoyed it for many years. However, we believe the peach option offers a strong alternative and are encouraged by its success in other countries," he said.

The announcement garnered mixed reactions from netizens, with fans of the orange flavour saying they were sad to see it go and others saying they're looking forward to the new peach flavour.

One comment on Reddit read: "I didn't like how artificial the orange flavour was. Glad they replaced it."

"As long as they don't touch apple, we can all stay peachy, pun intended," another netizen wrote.

A fan of the orange flavour probiotic drink wrote: "My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined."

Yakult Peach was launched in China in 2024. It is available as the classic Yakult drink as well as other product variants such as Yakult Plus in Europe, Brazil and Vietnam.

Probiotic cultured milk drink Yakult was launched in Japan in 1935.

It contains Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota, a unique strain of lactic acid bacteria that was discovered by the brand's founder Minoru Shirota in 1930.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com