Yakult Honsha has set up a European R&D unit in the Netherlands as a “global hub for food innovation”.

The new center sits within the company’s corporate facility on Wageningen Campus in Gelderland and has been established with a €3.7m ($4.3m) investment, the Japan-headquartered business said in a statement. The R&D unit was officially founded on 19 September.

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“In recent years, attending to diverse consumer needs and regulatory requirements in each country has become increasingly important,” Yakult said in the statement from company president Hiroshi Narita.

“By establishing an R&D center outside of Japan, we aim to create a global hub for food innovation that contributes to health and wellbeing.”

Yakult added that “establishing an R&D center on Wageningen Campus – originated around Wageningen University & Research, a world-renowned research institution in life sciences – is a rare and valuable opportunity”.

The company continued: “This initiative will not only enhance our product development capabilities but also enable us to explore new seeds of value creation that will drive future business growth. Through this global R&D framework, we aim to evolve into a truly global enterprise.”

In Europe, Yakult products are manufactured in the Netherlands, Belgium, UK, Germany, Austria, and Italy, among others.

Earlier this week, Yakult said it will established a branch in Austria that will merge with, and absorb, Yakult Oesterreich in the same country, a wholly owned subsidiary within its European operations. The move is expected on 1 October.

Last year, Yakult closed a factory in China as part of changes to try to make its local business more competitive.

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