Yogurt in Japan(2)

The style of yogurt that had been marketed in Japan was flavored to suit the taste of Japanese consumers, and as such yogurt gradually became a part of the Japanese diet over time.
However in 1971, Meiji became the first Japanese yogurt manufacturer to finally develop and start marketing its own version of plain yogurt similar to the one that had been popular in Europe as a health-enhancing food, with no sweetener or flavoring agents added.
The taste and texture of this authentic yogurt, which Meiji had formulated using the genuine lactic acid bacteria brought all the way from its origin in Bulgaria, was not well-received by Japanese consumers at the time. However, as its health benefits were publicized more and more through the mass media and other means, more people started to consume plain yogurt on a regular basis from the 1980s.
It is said that, aside from the obvious health benefits, the popularization of plain yogurt was because people started recognizing it also as a convenient and versatile ingredient for preparing a wide variety of dishes and beverages, in addition to being a readily eatable food.

After yogurt drinks were first commercially released in Japan in 1977, they became the most popular type of yogurt thanks to their ease and convenience. Today we have a wide selection of yogurt drinks to choose from, some of which are infused with dietary fiber, oligosaccharides, etc. for extra health benefits.
In 1979, the first frozen yogurt product in Japan was introduced to the market, which contained live lactic acid bacteria that were frozen after fermentation, as people became increasingly health-conscious. From the 1980s on, a growing number of restaurants and cafes started offering a whole range of new dishes that were prepared using plain yogurt, such as yogurt desserts with fruit pulp toppings, yogurt shakes, yogurt mousse, yogurt cakes, yogurt crepes, yogurt parfait, etc.As the flavors of yogurt and other food products that utilized lactic acid bacteria and were sold in Japan became more aligned with the culinary preferences of Japanese consumers, fermented milk products clearly became well-accepted in the country.

In 1996, Meiji Bulgaria Yogurt became the first plain yogurt to be certified as a Food For Specified Health Use (FOSHU) product by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (currently the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), which further solidified its status as an excellent health-enhancing food in the eyes of the public.