Australia not following NZ with Milo recipe change

A new recipe for Milo may have left a sour taste in the mouths of many New Zealanders, but Aussies can rest easy in the knowledge the classic drink's flavour here has not changed.

The vanilla flavour has been removed from the New Zealand recipe, leaving a number of rattled Milo drinkers expressing their distaste on the chocolate drink's Facebook page on Sunday.

But the Australian recipe does not include vanilla flavouring, a spokeswoman for Nestle told AAP.

Margaret Stuart said there had been changes to the Australian recipe, but none that would affect the taste.

Vitamin D "to build strong bones" and extra B vitamins "to support energy release in the body" have been added to the Milo recipe both here and in New Zealand "to help active kids perform at their best", Stuart said.

The company has also moved to sustainably sourced cocoa, she said.

The New Zealand recipe is now also sourcing sustainable palm oil, an ingredient the Australian recipe does not use.

"New Zealand has a couple more changes because they have a different recipe," Stuart said.

This is because there are different taste preferences in different countries and the way people drink Milo is different too, she said.

"People in New Zealand tend to drink Milo hot; here in Australia we tend to drink it cold."

Stuart said the company expected there to be resistance to a new flavour of an old classic.

"We understand that many people don't like changes being made to favourite products, so change is not made lightly, but these changes make a more nourishing drink," she said.

Milo is sold in 40 countries worldwide.