ACT the hottest state in the MILO debate

Have they never been here in July?

For two months, Australians have fought it out, debating whether drinking MILO hot or cold was best, and the results are in.

Cold MILO emerged as the Aussie favourite with 65 per cent of votes but 52 per cent of Canberrans preferred a hot MILO.

Almost 90,000 people voted nationwide; team cold finished with 58,199 votes and team hot with 31,388 votes.

Nestlé dairy business manager Anna Stewart said the MILO team had been thrilled to see the campaign create a stir with Aussies and most importantly, unite Aussies in their love of the iconic choc-malt taste drink.

"While there is a clear Aussie favourite, and the results revealed some surprising twists, we couldn't be happier to see people enjoying it both hot and cold, and seeing the passion for MILO as an iconic part of Australian life after all these generations," she said.

"While we weren't surprised that those in the north preferred their MILO cold, we didn't expect that the ACT would be the only place that prefers their MILO hot, well ahead of Tasmania and Victoria."

MILO was created by food scientist Thomas Mayne, who was briefed to develop something nourishing for children suffering from poor diets and malnutrition during the Great Depression, using ingredients Nestlé already used. It was originally developed at Smithtown in NSW and launched at the 1934 Sydney Royal Easter Show.

MILO is now made in 24 factories around the world, and sold in more than 40 countries, making it one of the few Australian-created food brands to enjoy widespread popularity.