BILLINGS — Billings residents are reporting that milk is spoiling days before its expiration date, and the complaints have now triggered a full investigation by the Montana Department of Livestock.
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Reports of milk going bad early, some marked by a blue or gray ring forming at the top of the gallon, have surfaced across multiple brands and stores, including Walmart, Target and Albertsons. The problem does not appear to be isolated to a single store or brand.
Dawn Ikener, who runs Little Cupcakes Childcare in the Heights, said she first noticed the problem several weeks ago. Her daycare serves 10 to 12 kids on average and goes through roughly a gallon of milk every one to two days.
"I'll buy it on Sunday, use it on Monday, go to use it on Tuesday, and there's a gray line, and it smells sour, and we still have days out from the expiration date," Ikener said.
Ikener said the problem has occurred across multiple brands and has persisted even after she switched stores and started buying half-gallons instead of full-gallons.
“Sell by 7/28, use by 8/04, and I already know it will not make it to probably Monday (7/27)," she said while looking at her current gallon. "It stinks because it's like $2.99 a half gallon and like $3.99 for a whole gallon."
She estimates the wasted milk is costing her roughly $12 a week.
"It's been hard being a daycare and being a mom and trying to make sure that the kids are getting the things they need without it going bad," Ikener said. "I would like to know that at least our local dairy produce was good, like we're Montana. We should be doing better than that."
Ikener said she knew her concerns weren't unique after a recent social media post by Deb Ostwalt on Billings Customer Service Watchdog, who said she noticed the same problem and initially thought it was a fluke.
"I noticed that three-quarters of the gallon was already going bad, and I'd look at the expiration date and it wasn't even close to being expired," Ostwalt said. "Two weeks ago I went and purchased another gallon of milk and the same exact thing happened."
Ostwalt posted about the issue to warn others and was surprised by the response.
"Tons of comments of people having the same exact issue, and then come to find out it wasn't just Walmart where I purchased my milk," Ostwalt said. "I am not sure if this is like a heat thing or not getting in stock fast enough, refrigerated. Just really don't know."
Posts in other local social media groups show the same thing, all stating different brands and stores, but the same result. Ikener said the post confirmed what she had been experiencing.
"I was like, okay, so I'm not the only one. I'm not losing my mind. It's not my refrigerator," Ikener said.
MTN reached out to RiverStone Health, Yellowstone County's public health department, and a spokesperson confirmed the agency has been fielding complaints. Those complaints are now being investigated by the Montana Department of Livestock.
On Friday, the department confirmed it had received a high number of complaints primarily from Yellowstone County, prompting a full investigation. The state will conduct plant visits to try to determine the source and whether the problem is isolated to a single processing plant. Officials said they are not yet sure how widespread the problem is. No reports of illness have been received.
Montana uses a "sell by" date on milk under a rule designed to keep milk fresh on shelves, essentially a 10-day rule intended to ensure milk does not go bad before purchase. The department said it is not yet clear whether impacted milk is still being sold.
According to U.S. Dairy, milk can expire and grow bacteria after an hour if exposed to temperatures over 90 degrees.
Ostwalt said she hopes the investigation gets to the bottom of the problem.
"It's something that we need to be aware of, and we definitely need to get to the bottom of it," Ostwalt said. "Regardless whether you still have three or four weeks or whatever the expiration date, just watch your milk because it's obviously not even getting to the expiration date."
