The Kroger Co.'s grocery chain Smith's, a popular Las Vegas food store, will now be selling probiotic dairy beverage Yakult(R) in all regional locations. Yakult, an international favorite for more than 70 years, crossed into select mainstream grocery stores in Las Vegas and Southern California merely last fall. This single-shot drink contains around 8 billion live and active probiotics called Lactobacillus casei Shirota, which is exclusive to Yakult products. Drinking one small bottle daily may have health benefits, such as balancing the body's digestive system and boosting natural defenses. Yakult can be found in the refrigerated dairy aisle of all Smith's Las Vegas stores.

"The benefits of probiotics have been known and studied for years," says Mr. Masaaki Sunami, Commercial Director of Yakult U.S.A. "Our main priority is educating people accurately about the health benefits, while providing a high-quality product produced by a trusted company."
The Yakult Company's key strategy for educating consumers in the U.S. is having free product demonstrations at participating grocery stores. Customers can sample the product and ask specific questions to trained Yakult professionals. Typically, questions range from the basic "what are probiotics?" to "how many should I have each day?" or "how is it different than yogurt?". In Japan, there are more than 46,000 Yakult Ladies who deliver the product door-to-door and provide health and nutrition information for free.

"Establishing great rapport with consumers is key to Yakult's success around the world," adds Vice President and C.O.O. Mr. Teruo Tabuchi. Since Yakult's general market rollout in 2007, the company has passed out hundreds of thousands of free samples of the citrus-flavored drink while educating people about the health benefits of probiotics.

Yakult(R) is the world's leading probiotic beverage and is sold in more than 30 countries and regions around the world. Yakult U.S.A. Inc. is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. and is headquartered in Torrance, CA. It supports Yakult's business in the United States and Canada. Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd. was established in Japan in 1955 and is regarded as the world's pioneer of probiotics. The quality of Yakult(R) is supported by more than 70 years of scientific research. Scientists all over the world continue to confirm and expand knowledge regarding the benefits of probiotics and Yakult(R). In 1999 Yakult U.S.A. Inc. set up operations in Los Angeles. To learn more, visit http://www.yakultusa.com.

Contact:  Lauren Weidelman
               Yakult U.S.A. Inc.
               (310) 542-7065 ext. 107
               lauren.weidelman@yakultusa.com