Starting in July, Yakult’s orange-flavored drink will be discontinued in Singapore and replaced by a peach variant, marking the first change to its flavor lineup in the city-state since 1980, when it was launched in three flavors: orange, grape and green apple.
Masaaki Sunami, managing director at Yakult Singapore, said the company had to choose between the two flavors due to production capacity limitations at its Singapore factory.
“Yakult Peach had performed very well in other markets and was particularly popular with consumers internationally,” Sunami explained to The Straits Timeswhich broke the news on Wednesday.
In Singapore, the original Yakult is the best-selling flavor, followed by grape and apple, he noted.
Reactions to the news suggest the change has not been welcomed by everyone.
“I have looked forward to every orange in the weekly mixed pack that my family bought as a child,” read one comment to the news on Reddit. “Now, I’m the one that buys the mixed pack. It’s a sad day.”
“I never had the need to fight over Yakult because I’d always happily take the orange while the rest fight over the rest,” another comment read. “With this change it now means I’ve joined the Yakult war for original.”
Different flavors and types of Yakult products in Singapore. Photo from Instagram |
Some consumers took the news more lightly, expressing amusement at the revelation that Yakult Orange was not as popular as they had assumed.
“I grew up thinking (orange) was always the favorite flavor, until I learnt that it’s grape,” 43-year-old music teacher Christine Heng told STadding that she buys Yakult Orange for her family once or twice a month.
“I will certainly be buying much less when my favorite flavor is no more.”
Still, comments supporting the change or voicing dislike for the orange flavor appeared to outnumber those mourning its departure.
“I didn’t like how artificial the orange flavor was. Glad they replaced it,” one Reddit user said.
Others were less concerned about the change, with one remarking: “Can replace any flavors, just don’t touch Apple and Grape.”
Another user joked: “All I’m gleaning from in this comment section is that there are people who genuinely like orange.”
Fans of Yakult Orange still have time to stock up before production ends at the end of this month, with the drink remaining available while supplies last, according to Channel News Asia.
“If you like Yakult’s orange flavor, you should drink it now,” Sunami said, as quoted by ST.
Founded in Japan in 1935, Yakult is a probiotic cultured milk drink containing Lacticaseibacillus paracasei Shirota, a strain of beneficial bacteria discovered by its founder Minoru Shirota.
The drink is sold in multiple other international markets, including Europe, Brazil and Vietnam, where it is offered both as the standard Yakult drink and in other product ranges such as Yakult Plus. The Yakult Peach made its debut in China in 2024, according to AsiaOne.
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