I grimaced when I saw this thread on FlyerTalk today:
The FDA has changed the classification of LSG Sky Chefs’ Denver facility from "Approved" to "Provisional" based on an inspection that turned up some real stomach turning findings, such as
- Cart wash area – Live and dead roach-like insects too numerous to count (TNTC)
- Silverware station – At least 40 live roaches as well as other insects
- The hot kitchen – At least eight dead and one live roach insects were observed in and around the walls of the hot kitchen
- Repack area – Live roaches (TNTC), as well as ants
- Pots and pans warewashing room – At least four live and dead roaches, flies
- Dish machine wash area – At least 13 dead roaches inside the machine loading area and 31 or more dead nearby the machine
- Wash area – At least four live roaches on walls and floors
The description above is verbatim from the FDA’s warning letter to LSG Sky Chefs.
I am surprised to hear this news. LSG is owned and run by Lufthansa, not the kind of company you would associate with cockroaches and ants. Have you ever been on a dirty LH plane before? It appears their catering facilities, at least in DEN, are not up to the same standard.
And my title is a bit misleading: LSG has catering contracts in DEN not only with United, but with Lufthansa (duh), Alaska, American, and Mexicana. Consider yourself warned!
I wouldn’t worry too much about this going forward, though. I am confident LH will move quickly to address embarassing problem and insure that it does not happen again.
At the same time, I can’t help feeling just a little queasy about my steak dinner from DEN-PHL a couple weeks ago:
Can I blame my pre-Christmas cold on that?
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