Product safety

Basic policy on product quality

In order to embody our corporate philosophy, the whole Yakult Group is working to ensure quality assurance based on the Yakult Group Basic Quality Policy, which specifies the fundamental policies and promotion system related to quality and safety.

Product quality certifications

We are promoting acquisition of HACCP, ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, Safe Quality Food (SQF) and other certifications for Yakult Honsha plants, bottling companies, marketing companies and Group companies outside Japan. The Zhongli Plant of Yakult Taiwan Co., Ltd. has acquired SQF level-3 certification, the highest level of the SQF program.

The Foshan Plant of Guangzhou Yakult Co. Ltd. acquired HACCP certification in February 2021 and ISO 9001 certification in March 2021.

	HACCP	ISO 9001	ISO 22000	FSSC 22000	GMP	Halal	ISO 45001	SQF
Yakult Honsha plants, bottling companies in Japan (11 dairy product plants)			11*1
Marketing companies in Japan (101 in total)			1
Plants outside Japan (28 locations in total)	17	9	8	3	9	8	2*2	2

1. *1　In Japan, food hygiene control based on HACCP principles was instituted through the Act on the Partial Amendment of the Food Sanitation Act in 2018. In line with this, we acquired ISO 22000 certification at Yakult Honsha dairy product plants, all 11 plants of bottling companies, and the Production Division, including the Production Control Department.
2. *2　Acquisition rate at plants both in and outside Japan: 5.1%

• HACCP: A system for assuring safety by implementing thorough hygiene management across the entire manufacturing process
• ISO 9001: An international standard for quality management systems
• ISO 22000: An international standard for food safety management systems based on HACCP hygiene management methods
• FSSC 22000: An international standard for food safety management systems based on ISO 22000 that incorporates food defense and other matters
• GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice): An international standard for pharmaceuticals and food manufacturing management and quality control
  Note: In Taiwan, the plant obtained TQF (Taiwan Quality Food) certification which is equivalent to GMP.
• Halal: A standard for food quality management systems based on Islamic Law
• ISO 45001: An international standard for occupational health and safety management systems
• SQF: An international standard for management systems that ensure the safety and quality of food products

Status of certification
(Listed for each company)

Customer satisfaction

Role and systems of the Customer Support Center

Day-to-day consultations with customers are vitally important activities that facilitate our efforts to ensure we can provide products and services that benefit our customers. We accept inquiries from customers by phone and email and do our best to respond promptly, accurately and sincerely.

One of the important roles of the Customer Support Center is to accurately grasp the meaning of customers’ inquiries, relay the comments to related organizational units and top management, and promote concrete measures to improve products and services. The Center strives to answer inquiries in a respectful, easy-to-understand manner in order to enhance customer satisfaction. For consultations that require direct customer visits, the Center works in coordination with marketing companies throughout Japan.

Expanding Yakult Delivery Net online ordering service

With a view to improving convenience as the e-commerce market continues to grow, Yakult launched the Yakult Delivery Net online ordering service in fiscal 2017 and expanded the service nationwide in September 2018. This service offers options for credit card payment and product delivery in a cold storage box, making it possible to deliver products in keeping with diverse consumer lifestyles.

The service has allowed us to broaden our customer base and to deepen contact with existing users. As of March 2024, the number of registered users was approximately 235,000.

Note: The registration of new users has been suspended due to the shortage of some products (as of August 2024).