Nestle have admitted the classic Kiwi hot drink Milo now tastes different, who say it was 'improved” for health benefits.

However, Milo's recipe has prompted outrage from some customers who say it's lost its chocolate taste and is 'disgusting”.

A Facebook page was set up after Nestle changed the recipe of Milo. Photo: Supplied.

A Facebook page, 'Change Milo back to the old recipe”, was set up after parent company Nestle added vitamin D, B3, B6, B12 and took out vitamins A, B1 and magnesium and vanilla flavouring.

Commenters on the page say the 'little bit of chocolate it had is all gone” and one woman, Niki Wright Jackman, says: 'Omg knew I wasnt going mad - going to return my tin for a refund, it's disgusting”.

Nestle's Australian-based external relations manager Mary Stuart says the company had made 'a number of small changes to Milo to improve it”.

She says a glass of Milo with trim milk now earned 4.5 stars using the new Health Star Rating system - an Australian system that the then Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye signed New Zealand up to last year.

Along with taking out the vanilla flavour, Mary says Milo has also moved to 'sustainably sourced cocoa” and 'sustainably sourced palm oil”.

'These changes haven't affected the flavour,” insists Mary, 'but does mean that we now have a more sustainably produced product, meeting the demands of consumers and reducing our impact.”

She says there had been a 'slight shift in flavour” though Milo was still 'based on the four main ingredients - milk powder, malt barley, sugar and cocoa - that have been at its core for over 80 years”.

'We understand that many people don't like changes being made to favourite products, so this change was not made lightly,” adds Mary.

Campaign organiser Taryn Ibell says she opened a new packet last week and it tasted 'horrible - absolutely disgusting”.

The new flavour was 'very, very malty”, says Taryn. 'You might as well just drink malt.”

The company had also taken out vanilla flavour and, as a result, it tasted less chocolatey, she adds.

Taryn was motivated to act after her three-year-old child refused to drink the new formula. 'Having a hot milky Milo was the only way of getting milk into her and she won't drink the new stuff,” explains Taryn.

Along with hero online group, Taryn had worked out that any Milo with a best before date before August 2016 was old formulation, but anything dated later was the new product.

Other people have complained on the Milo page, with the company responding that they had changed the formula to 'help active kids perform at their best!”, but it was 'still a great tasting combination... and still has a great chocolate taste we know everyone loves”.

Commenters disagreed, saying the new taste was 'rank” and the difference between the two was 'obvious”.