Montana’s Milk Mystery Deepens As New Families Report Early Spoilage

Why Is Milk Going Bad So Early In Montana?

Have you opened a jug of milk lately only to find it smells sour even though the sell-by date is still days away?

If so, you're definitely not the only one.

Montana Families Report Milk Spoiling Before The Sell-By Date

KTVQ reports that numerous families across Montana have been reaching out after finding their milk spoiled well before the date printed on the carton.

Montana is a little different from the rest of the country when it comes to milk labels. We're the last state that still uses a "sell-by" date instead of a "best-by" date.

By state law, that sell-by date has to be 12 days after the milk is pasteurized, so people are understandably wondering why it's going bad so early.

Right now, the one thing many of these complaints seem to have in common is an FDA processing code: 30-02, which identifies milk processed at the Meadow Gold facility in Billings.

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What Montana Families Should Do If Their Milk Spoils Early

Now, that doesn't automatically mean the processing plant is responsible. It just happens to be the one common thread investigators with the Montana Department of Livestock have found so far.

For a lot of families, this isn't just an inconvenience. It's wasted food and wasted money at a time when neither is easy to replace.

For now, the mystery remains unsolved. If you've had milk spoil before the sell-by date, officials are asking you to check the processing code on the carton. It may seem like a small detail, but it could end up helping investigators figure out what's causing the problem.

Source: KTVQ