'I couldn't stomach it': Australians appalled by taste of made-in-Singapore Milo

The familiar taste of Milo is something that many of us have come to love. However, our Australian counterparts don't seem to share the same sentiment, at least for the ones produced in Singapore.

A disgruntled shopper from Down Under made a post on the Aldi Mums Facebook group lamenting the 'weird texture' and taste of the beverage that they purchased from supermarket chain Aldi, reported 7News Australia on Thursday (March 3). 

The customer wrote that they called up Nestle Australia, which explained that the 1.25kg tins that they purchased were imported from Singapore. 

A spokesperson from Nestle Australia told Australian media that the production of Milo tins for Aldi stores was temporarily moved to Singapore while Milo's factories in New South Wales are being upgraded. 

"We have been investing in upgrading our factory for the future. To ensure Milo fans didn't miss out during this time, we imported some Milo from our factory in Singapore," they said, reported the Daily Mail Australia.

The company added that the made-in-Singapore Milo was limited to the 1.25kg tin sold in Aldi for a limited time and that the Australian stock is already returning to the shelf. 

In the same Facebook post, the customer shared a picture of the Milo tin that was purchased from Aldi, which had a label indicating that the drink was "made in Singapore" and "packed in Australia". 

“Make sure you check the back of the tin if you want Milo that actually tastes like Milo (trust me you don’t want to waste your money on the one made in Singapore, it’s terrible)," wrote the customer. 

Another customer also chimed in, saying: “Oh my gosh! I literally had a glass of Milo and couldn’t stomach it! I thought my taste buds had changed being an adult with responsibilities, but I think I had the Singapore one! It tastes nothing like my childhood.”

Singapore has been producing Milo since its Jurong factory was opened in 1984. The factory is also the single largest factory for the production of malt extract in the world. 

Milo products sold in Singapore are mainly manufactured locally, although small quantities are imported from other countries like Australia and Malaysia according to a Straits Times report in 2015.

AsiaOne has reached out to Nestle Singapore for comments. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com