LSG Sky Chefs, a catering company that prepares food for major airlines, says a warning by the FDA was serious enough to overhaul its Denver facility after FDA inspectors found large numbers of living as well as dead roaches and also found the presence of the deadly Listeria bacteria.
The FDA warned LSG Sky Chefs that the company it could be barred from selling food to the airlines at the Denver airport if it fails any further inspections. LSG Sky Chefs said Monday it took the FDA’s comments seriously, fired the general manager and head chef, and believes it will pass a follow-up re-inspection.
LSG is owned by Deutsche Lufthansa AG, a German air carrier. Its U.S. food subsidiary provides food to Delta, American, United and other airlines from over 40 kitchens around the country.
According to an FDA letter to the company, inspectors who examined the Denver facility found live and dead roaches “too numerous to count” in several areas of the kitchen, including at least 40 live insects in the silverware station.
The FDA said inspectors saw employees touching food with bare hands or while wearing unwashed gloves. They also noted problems with the building, including water dripping from the ceiling into utensil-cleaning areas and holes in walls that could house insects or vermin.
