December 08, 2020, 11:27 PM
Nestle Japan Ltd, which is based in Kobe, announced on Dec. 8 that it will suspend the sale of Milo products in Japan.
This stoppage affects three types of Milo products being sold on the Japanese market, including the 240g and 700g Milo Original powder packs, and the five-stick Milo Original.
Seen as an enriching beverage
Most of us probably weren't aware of Milo's explosive popularity in Japan.
The reason, according to Japanese news site ITMedia, can be traced back to August, where one seemingly innocuous tweet by a Japanese Twitter user, @ren_3, went viral.
The Twitter user said that after consuming Milo every morning for a month, she felt energised and refreshed.
She had previously felt sluggish and tired 24 hours a day and lacked the motivation to pursue her hobbies.
The Twitter user added that her symptoms were the result of anemia, and they were improved due to Milo containing iron.
毎朝ミロを飲み始めて1か月、寝起きが爆裂良くなり、24時間常に疲れてだるかった身体が軽くなり、趣味すらやる気が起きなくて鬱々してた気分がスッキリ爽快！一個でも当てはまるひと嘘だと思って試してみて欲しい〜！ありがとうネスレ！ありがとうツイッター！ pic.twitter.com/feW15fZqov
— ⛱恋⛱ (@ren_3) August 4, 2020
This tweet, as of writing, has 30,400 retweets, and 92,500 likes.
Imported ingredients from Singapore
Japanese newspaper The Mainichi reported that the company said that sales of the 240g Milo powder pack stopped in late September and resumed on Nov. 16.
However, the company was overwhelmed with demand for the product, as they received seven times the number of orders that they had for the same time period last year.
This was due to the company finding it difficult to secure a stable and continuous supply of ingredients to make the product.
The Mainichi reported that the ingredients are imported from Singapore and the company needs time to re-establish a stable supply framework to Japan.
Sales of Milo in Japn is expected to resume in 2021.
Nestle Japan said in their press release that they "deeply apologise for the inconvenience caused to their customers and business partners."
Top image via Nestle Japan
Totally unrelated but follow and listen to our podcast here
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.