The latest news, trends, analysis, interviews and podcasts from the global food and beverage industry

Yakult Honsha has established a new European research and development centre in the Netherlands, strengthening its global innovation network.

The Yakult European R&D Center, officially established on 19 September 2025, is located on Wageningen Campus in Gelderland. The campus is home to Wageningen University & Research, a leading life sciences institute, and hosts a cluster of food and nutrition businesses and start-ups.

Yakult, headquartered in Tokyo and best known for its probiotic dairy drink, sells products in 40 countries and regions worldwide. The company said the new facility will serve as a hub for addressing diverse consumer needs and varying regulatory requirements across global markets.

“By establishing an R&D centre outside of Japan, we aim to create a global hub for food innovation that contributes to health and wellbeing,” the company said. It added that Wageningen Campus offers a “rare and valuable opportunity” to collaborate with academic researchers and industry partners.

The move reflects Yakult’s ambition to strengthen product development, explore new avenues for value creation and position itself as a “truly global enterprise.”