BILLINGS Days after MTN News first reported widespread complaints about milk spoiling before its expiration date, hundreds of Montanans have responded with similar experiences, prompting new questions about where the milk is co ming from as a state investigation continues.Watch the story below: Montana milk mystery: Montana families continue reporting milk spoiling early as state investigation continuesSince Friday's story aired, viewers have submitted dozens of photos showing milk with blue-gray streaks, curdling and mold despite still being within its "sell by" date. The reports span multiple communities across Montana and involve different grocery stores and brands.One detail appears consistently across many of the cartons and jugs shared with MTN News. Many of the milk containers were marked with the processing plant code 30-02, an FDA plant identification code that corresponds to the Meadow Gold processing plant in Billings, located at 109 S. 28th St. The Billings facility is one of three major milk processing plants in Montana and distributes milk throughout much of south-central and eastern Montana, as well as parts of Wyoming.The matching plant code does not establish the cause of the spoilage complaints or indicate any wrongdoing by the processing plant. State officials have not determined the cause of the reported issues.The Montana Department of Livestock confirmed Friday that it has opened an investigation into the complaints and is conducting inspections, including tours of processing facilities. As of Monday, however, the department had not provided a timeline for when the investigation might be completed or what investigators have found so far. A spokesperson for the department said additional information should be available by Tuesday.Among those affected is Billings mother Freddie Bennett, who said her family of six purchases three to four gallons of milk each week but has been throwing away roughly half because it spoils before the expiration date."Half the time we're having to throw it away early, even before the expiration date because it's starting to curdle way early," Bennett said.For Bennett, it's money down the drain, literally. She estimates her family has lost between $50 and $100 worth of milk over the past several months. Bennett also said one of her children encountered spoiled milk during a free summer lunch program at school when a carton appeared curdled despite not being expired.She took a sip and then immediately like spit it out, and I asked her what was going on and I pulled it, and it wasn't expired, and it was completely curdled inside," she said. "It's happening from ones that we're getting in the stores, but it's also happening to our schools and the lunch programs that they're having."The complaints are not limited to Billings.I grabbed the cereal, and I grabbed the milk, and I was like, 'What in the world?' It just looked like the carton was dirty," said Jamie McMillan of Glendive.McMillan said she experienced the same issue and immediately recognized it after seeing MTN News' original report. "We were like, this is crazy. It's here too," McMillan said. "Instantly knew it was the same thing, like the picture was nearly identical.She said the similarity between complaints across different communities made her believe the problem extends beyond a single grocery store.In addition to viewer reports, an employee at the Billings Meadow Gold plant, who requested to remain anonymous, shared a photograph of a gallon of milk from their own refrigerator that appeared to show the same problem.The employee alleged the issue may be related to leaking caps or seals and claimed there have been ongoing reports of leaking gallon containers and school milk half pints. Meadow Gold has not responded to requests for comment. For many families, the issue is more than an inconvenience. Bennett said repeatedly replacing spoiled milk places an added financial burden on households already struggling with rising grocery costs."We already deal with so much food insecurity," she said. "It's just contributing to it.""It's concerning because milk is such a staple in so many homes," McMillan said. "It begs to just a lot of questions that should be answered."The Montana Department of Livestock's investigation remains ongoing. ...read more read less