Mug of new Milo has more sugar, fat

We didn’t make these changes lightly – we know it is a much-loved product.

Nestle

A mug of the new Milo doesn’t just taste different, according to disgruntled fans – it also contains more sugar and fat.

While the actual ingredients of the new recipe have not boosted sugar and fat contents, Nestle’s recommended standard serving size has beefed up.

The serving size recommendation on the packaging of new Milo has upped from 15g to 20g, meaning a mug of the new drink made to the packet’s specifications will contain more sugar and fat.

In a statement Nestle said it had changed the serving size ‘‘to reflect how consumers are actually using the product’’.

‘‘The research that we’ve done into how consumers use Milo – which includes asking them to make a drink of Milo for themselves the way they usually would, and then weighing what they use – shows people were typically using around 20g, not 15g,’’ a Nestle spokesperson said.

On Milo packaging, Nestle equated 15g to three level teaspoons while 20g is three heaped teaspoons.

According to Nestle’s new packaging, a 200ml mug of Milo with trim milk now contains 21 per cent of a person’s recommended daily intake (RDI) of sugar and 4 per cent of their fat RDI.

With the old recipe, 200ml of the drink contained 19 per cent of someone’s RDI for sugars and 3 per cent of their RDI for fat.

Nestle however says that people following its new recommended serving size would get more of all the nutrients Milo contained. ‘‘But what our consumer research shows us is that in practice, most people were having more than the 15g anyway. The label change just aligns the nutrition panel with what we know consumers are doing,’’ it said.

The new Milo recipe’s four-and-ahalf star rating under the Health Star Rating system was calculated with 20g of new-recipe Milo and 200ml of trim milk, Nestle said.

Despite criticism from the New Zealand public, Nestle said it has no plans to go back to the old recipe.

The main change is the reduction of the amount of iron and vitamin C in a serving of Milo, and it removes magnesium and vitamin A. However, Milo now contains phosphorus, vitamin D and extra B vitamins.

Nestle said it had ‘‘adjusted the vitamins and minerals to ensure Milo delivers those required for energy production to help active kids perform at their best’’.

‘‘We didn’t make these changes lightly – we know it is a much-loved product and people don’t like favourite products changed. However these changes are part of a change to Milo which reflects our research into the nutritional needs of children. For this reason, we will not be changing the recipe.’’