Airline catering workers have filed a new safety complaint against Flying Food Group, alleging they were exposed to unsafe and unsanitary working conditions at facilities serving Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The complaint, filed on behalf of workers by hospitality union UNITE HERE Local 11, claims employees were required to work in environments containing maggots, mold, cockroaches, excessive heat and inadequate supplies such as soap and paper towels. According to the union, the facilities are responsible for preparing thousands of meals for airline passengers.
Footage recorded by a longtime employee on June 23, 2026, allegedly showed dishes covered in decomposing food, as well as what appeared to be mold, maggots, and flies.
UNITE HERE Local 11 said the employee recommended that the contaminated dishes be discarded. Instead, the worker was allegedly instructed by a supervisor to wash the dishes for an upcoming flight without being provided a mask or respirator.
"No one should have to work around maggots, cockroaches, mold, and rotting food just to earn a paycheck, as this complaint alleges," said Susan Minato, Co-President of UNITE HERE Local 11. "The workers who prepare meals for airline passengers deserve a workplace that meets the most basic standards of cleanliness and safety. We ask Cal/OSHA to take these issues seriously and investigate immediately."
The complaint comes after Cal/OSHA issued four "serious" citations to Flying Food Group on May 20. Two of those citations were connected to a January 22, 2026 fire in which two workers were discovered inside a cooler room whose entrance door had reportedly been chained shut.
Flying Food Group had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
This article originally appeared on Storyful: Union complaint cites maggots and mold at LAX catering site