Workers at a company that prepares airline meals next to Los Angeles International Airport say they uncovered mold, maggots and cockroaches inside their facility — prompting a safety complaint over what they describe as hazardous working conditions.
UNITE HERE Local 11 filed the complaint with the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA), alleging employees at Flying Food Group’s LAX catering facility were forced to work in unsanitary conditions that put their health at risk, KTLA reported.
The company supplies in-flight meals for dozens of domestic and international airlines.
According to the complaint, a worker opened airline dish carts that had been sitting for an extended period in June 2026 and found decomposing food covered with mold, flies and maggots. Photographs submitted by the union appear to show the contaminated dishes.
“It’s unbelievable how much mold, how disgusting they are,” said Sunan Minato, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. “The poor woman got very sick and these are facilities that prepare thousands of airline meals.”
The worker suggested throwing the dishes away but said a supervisor instructed her to wash them instead because they were needed for an upcoming flight.
The union said the employee later reported stomach pain, a headache and a strange sensation in her nose after handling what it described as “noxious material” without being provided a mask or respirator.
Workers also alleged they repeatedly saw cockroaches and other vermin throughout the facility, including in food preparation areas, near employee changing stations, around airline food carts and inside the employee cafeteria.
The complaint further alleges bathrooms and handwashing stations frequently ran out of soap or paper towels, forcing employees to search elsewhere for supplies before returning to food preparation duties.
Employees also raised concerns about temperatures inside the facility’s dish room.
A longtime worker said heat and humidity regularly made the room feel like “being in a sauna,” leading to fatigue, dehydration and headaches, and claimed a coworker nearly fainted because of the conditions.
“It’s unbelievable that workers have to live under these conditions,” Minato explained. “It’s unsafe.”
The union said it has submitted photographs, videos and worker testimony to Cal/OSHA and is calling for an expedited on-site inspection.
Union officials claimed Flying Food Group’s LAX operations “have a long record of alleged safety violations.” They pointed to a May 2026 Cal/OSHA inspection that resulted in six citations, including four violations classified as “serious.”
“Companies sometimes do things until they’re told not to and so this complaint in particular, we think, is very critical,” Minato said.
The City of Los Angeles has also launched an investigation into the company’s safety and labor practices.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office highlighted the complaint in a statement, saying that the mayor takes “allegations about this airport contractor seriously and is engaged with UNITE HERE Local 11 and Los Angeles World Airports to make sure they are appropriately investigated and addressed.”
UNITE HERE Local 11 represents more than 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers and airports.
