Flavoured milk

Milk to which flavourings such as cocoa, vanilla, strawberry or other flavours have been added, usually with sweeteners. Popular with children, it is pasteurised or UHT-treated like plain milk. Nutritional debate centres on added sugars versus the nutritional value of the milk base, and some standards cap added sugar content. Chocolate milk leads the category, its cocoa masking the cooked notes of UHT treatment; strawberry and vanilla versions rely on flavourings plus colour. School-meal programmes debate its role — the sugar load versus calcium and protein delivery — and several countries now cap added sugars or restrict it in schools, pushing reformulation toward lower-sugar recipes.