Billings milk complaints expand as Montana investigates early spoilage

Complaints from Billings residents about milk spoiling before its printed date have widened across Montana, while the state investigates and has not identified a cause, announced a recall or reported illnesses connected to the reports.

Reports involve several stores and brands

The first complaints came from Billings and Yellowstone County residents who described blue-gray rings, sour odors, curdling and mold appearing before the milk’s sell-by or expiration date. Reports involved purchases from Walmart, Target and Albertsons and included multiple brands, so the reported issue has not been established as a problem limited to one retailer or product line.

Little Cupcakes Childcare owner Dawn Ikener told KTVQ that her business, which serves about 10 to 12 children on average, uses roughly a gallon of milk every one to two days. She said repeated spoilage was costing the child-care operation about $12 a week and continued after she changed stores and bought smaller containers.

Billings mother Freddie Bennett later told KTVQ that her family had been discarding roughly half of the milk it purchased. She estimated the wasted product had cost between $50 and $100 over several months. Those reports describe household and child-care expenses, but they do not establish that the milk was contaminated or unsafe.

Why a Billings processing code is drawing attention

In a follow-up report, KTVQ said many cartons and jugs submitted by viewers carried processing code 30-02. The code corresponds to the Meadow Gold processing plant at 109 S. 28th St. in Billings.

That connection is an investigative lead, not a finding of fault. The matching code does not prove that the Billings plant caused the spoilage, that a requirement was violated or that every reported container came from the same problem.

KTVQ reported that hundreds of Montanans had responded with similar experiences, with photos involving different communities, stores and brands. The additional reports show that the concern was not limited to one Billings household or one shopping trip, but they do not establish the full scope or cause of the issue.

What state officials are doing

The Montana Department of Livestock opened an investigation after RiverStone Health referred complaints from Yellowstone County. KTVQ reported that state officials were conducting inspections, including visits to processing facilities, as they worked to determine where the problem may have originated.

The department’s Milk Section says its responsibilities include inspecting dairy farms and processing plants, collecting and testing dairy products, and investigating consumer complaints and dairy-related disease outbreaks. The agency’s public information does not identify a completed finding in this case.

What Billings shoppers should watch for

For now, the investigation remains active. No confirmed cause, recall or illness report was included in the available coverage, and officials had not announced a completion date.

Billings shoppers, families and child-care providers should watch for updates from the Montana Department of Livestock, retailers, milk processors or an official recall notice. The processing code appearing on many reported containers may help investigators trace the products, but it should not be treated as proof that the Billings plant caused the spoilage.

Sources

• KTVQ/MTN News: Montana milk investigation follow-up
• Montana Department of Livestock: Milk Section