French food company Danone has said that it has increased its stake in Japanese dairy company Yakult Honsha to 19% from 5%.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Go deeper with GlobalData

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Danone declined to give financial details of the deal but said that the Japanese company had revenue of ¥230bn (US$1.9bn) in fiscal 2002.


Danone acquired in 2000 a 5% stake in Yakult Honsha, a company that has a 10% share of the Japanese non-alcoholic drinks market thanks to its flagship Yakult product, reported Dow Jones News.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact