Kirin to Shift From Beer to Health Products, Sankei Reports

(Bloomberg) -- Kirin Holdings Co., Japan’s second-largest beer brewer, will shift its core business strategy from beverages to “health and illness-preventing” solutions, the Sankei newspaper reported, citing an interview with Chief Executive Officer Yoshinori Isozaki.

The Tokyo-based company is planning a global expansion of products that use its proprietary lactic acid bacteria technology, which it believes can prevent illnesses like the common cold and influenza, the newspaper reported. That growth should help revenue in its health care division triple to about 100 billion yen ($880 million), it said.

The company will detail the shift in a new medium-term business plan to be released next year, Sankei reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Yuji Nakamura in Tokyo at ynakamura56@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Stanley James at sjames8@bloomberg.net, Russell Ward

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