By Maureen O’Hare, CNN
(CNN) — Employees at an airline catering facility located next to Los Angeles International Airport have filed a safety complaint alleging exposure to maggots, mold, cockroaches and other vermin while they work to prepare food.
The award-winning Flying Food Group has 19 catering facilities across the United States, preparing 120 million meals annually for more than 75 airlines. This is the latest in a series of complaints raised against its Inglewood branch.
According to the complaint, in late June 2026, an employee was allegedly ordered to open airline dish carts that had been left unopened inside the facility for an extended period of time. She discovered decomposing food that appeared to be covered in mold, maggots and flies. The worker alleges that when she suggested discarding the dishes, she was ordered by her supervisor to clean the dishes for reuse on an upcoming flight. She says she was not offered a mask or respirator to protect herself while handling the noxious material.
The complaint alleges that, inside these facilities responsible for preparing thousands of meals for airlines at nearby LAX, workers have reported seeing what they believed to be cockroaches and other vermin, including in food preparation areas and near airline food carts.
When contacted by CNN for this article, Flying Food Group said, “We are aware of the allegations that have been made regarding conditions at our facility.” They added, “We are conducting a thorough review of the allegations and are cooperating with the appropriate regulatory authorities.”
‘Workers are incredibly frustrated’
Another allegation claims bathrooms and handwashing stations frequently lacked adequate soap or paper towels, forcing employees to search elsewhere before returning to prepare food.
“Workers are incredibly frustrated,” says Maria Hernandez, press secretary for UNITE HERE Local 11, the hospitality worker labor union that raised the safety complaint on behalf of employees. She told CNN that they “find it shocking that these kinds of conditions have occurred at a facility that has a special license from the City of LA to operate at LAX and supplies some of the world’s biggest airlines.”
The union has submitted photographs, videos and worker testimony to Cal/OSHA, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and is urging state inspectors to investigate.
Other alleged safety violations
The complaint also alleges dangerously high temperatures in the facility’s dish room, where dishes are sanitized, and cites Flying Food Group’s LAX operations’ lengthy record of alleged safety violations.
Most recently, in May 2026, Cal/OSHA issued the company six citations, following an incident during a fire in January 2026 when two workers were reportedly found locked inside a cold storage room that had been chained from the outside.
“Flying Food Group workers have spoken at the Board of Airport Commissioners about labor abuses on no fewer than 50 occasions, and yet the airport leadership has not taken meaningful action,” Hernandez claims.
When contacted by CNN, Los Angeles World Airports, which oversees LAX, said, “Because this is a matter before Cal/OSHA, LAWA is not in a position to comment on the case.”
In February 2026, the office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement regarding Flying Food Group, saying, “Mayor Bass takes the 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.”
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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