Support from dairy checkoff food scientists helped McDonald’s USA produce a reduced-sugar, low-fat chocolate milk that will be unveiled nationwide in January. The new formulation has 25% less sugar than McDonald’s previous chocolate milk and is no longer a fat-free product, said Rosemont, Ill.-based Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), which manages the national dairy checkoff.

DMI has had a partnership with McDonald’s since 2009. The organization said it provided on-site support from food scientists and other resources and worked closely with the McDonald’s team to create the final product.

“Chocolate milk has been a longtime customer favorite at McDonald’s, and U.S. dairy farmers are glad to see the chain roll out a great-tasting chocolate milk that has even more nutritional benefits than previously,” said Pennsylvania dairy farmer Marilyn Hershey, who serves as chair of DMI. “This is a great example of a foodservice leader listening and responding to customer demand. It also benefits dairy farmers because McDonald’s will offer an improved milk product to millions of customers, which could lead to similar changes at other restaurants.”