What kind of punishment did Yakult receive for promoting that probiotics can prevent and treat the new coronavirus?

Yakult was fined 450,000 yuan for promoting that probiotics can prevent and treat the new coronavirus.

Yakult is a lactic acid bacteria drink that is sold in many supermarkets and is a favorite among consumers. It is unique among supermarkets because Yakult does not participate in any activities such as discounts, full discounts, etc. Every promotion on supermarkets will have discounts on the products, except for Yakult or other products.

Because of this, many consumers will notice that Yakult never discounts, the price will not be reduced, and it will increase the price appropriately according to the market situation. In addition, the price of 5 small bottles is 12 yuan. This marketing method has given many consumers a subconscious reaction, that is, Yakult is a very healthy and relatively expensive drink.

The slogan of Yakult also states that 100ml (a small bottle) of Yakult contains more than 10 billion Lactobacillus casei Shirota strains, and one bottle a day can meet the probiotics needed by adults for a day. In addition, before the COVID-19 epidemic is over, it is actually reported that drinking Yakult has a very good preventive and treatment effect on the COVID-19 virus.

This kind of false propaganda misleads and even deceives consumers, and was fined 450,000 yuan by the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation.

The actual main raw materials of Yakult are: water, sugar, skimmed milk powder, glucose, edible flavors and Lactobacillus casei. In addition, it is a Japanese brand. In Japan, Yakult is synonymous with health. In China, this kind of marketing has been favored by many consumers. Many adults and children like to buy Yakult and drink it.

Even when well-known brands such as Mengniu and Yili also produce a lot of lactic acid bacteria drinks, Yakult does not discount or reduce prices but its sales are still very good, but is it really what Yakult’s marketing says? So healthy, I don’t think it is necessarily true. Although it is beneficial bacteria in the intestines, in fact, if people don’t drink this drink, there will still be many beneficial bacteria in the intestines. It does not play a big role in the body. It is just marketing. It has a concept of beneficial bacteria and tastes better, so many people are willing to buy it.

But this time it actually promoted the prevention and control of the new coronavirus. It really made the Market Supervision Bureau and consumers look like fools. If you don’t punish you, who will you punish?