An airline catering company that supplies in-flight meals to at least 15 carriers at Los Angeles International Airport is under scrutiny after workers alleged unsanitary conditions — including maggots, mold and cockroaches — inside its kitchens.
The allegations were set out in a complaint against Flying Food Group filed by the labor union UNITE HERE Local 11, which represents catering staff. According to the union, employees said they were exposed to maggots, mold, cockroaches and excessive heat while preparing and handling airline meals, and the concerns have been raised with California's workplace-safety regulator, Cal/OSHA.
Central to the complaint is an incident the union describes from June 2026. A worker is said to have opened airline dish carts that had been left sitting for an extended period and found decomposing food filled with mold, flies and maggots. The employee reportedly suggested the dishes be thrown away, but said she was instead told by a supervisor to wash them, because the dishes were needed for an upcoming flight.
While handling the material, the worker reported experiencing stomach pain, a headache and an unusual sensation in her nose, according to the union. She said she had not been provided with a mask or respirator for protection.
Flying Food Group prepares meals for a number of international airlines operating out of LAX, with the union citing carriers such as Lufthansa, Air France, SWISS and Virgin Atlantic among those served by the facility. The company supplies at least 15 airlines at the airport, making the hygiene claims potentially significant for a broad slice of international departures from one of the busiest gateways in the United States.
Airline catering is a tightly scheduled, high-volume operation. Meals are assembled hours before departure, chilled, loaded onto carts and transported to aircraft on strict timelines, which leaves little room for error in food-safety and sanitation practices. Complaints alleging pests, mold and inadequate protective equipment therefore tend to draw attention from both regulators and the airlines that rely on outside caterers.
The allegations remain claims made through a union complaint and a regulatory filing, and describe conditions as reported by workers rather than findings that have been formally adjudicated. Cal/OSHA complaints typically trigger review and can lead to inspections, though outcomes depend on what regulators find on site.
For travelers, the case is a reminder of how much of the in-flight experience depends on contractors working behind the scenes, well away from the terminal. For the airlines named as customers, allegations of this kind can prompt their own audits of catering partners, regardless of how the regulatory process ultimately unfolds.
Sources: Simple Flying, CNN. Featured image: AI-generated by AviationShop. By Marco Bianchi.
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