American Airlines Suspends Use Of LAX Kitchen After Listeria Found

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – If you are flying American Airlines out of Los Angeles International Airport over the next week, you may not get a hot meal aboard your flight.

This comes after listeria was discovered at an LAX kitchen that provides catering services for the airline.

The Gate Gourmet catering service confirmed to CBS2 that American Airlines temporarily halted the use of the LAX facility after the Gate Gourmet "identified traces of listeria in non-food contact areas, primarily floor drains, at our LAX unit."

American Airlines told The Street that it stopped using the LAX kitchen Wednesday. The airline was hoping that that the suspension would only last 10 days. In the meantime, it was offering vouchers to affected passengers and looking for alternative catering options.

There was no word that anyone had been sickened. Gate Gourmet said that, following the discovery, its kitchen was "immediately and aggressively treated."

"Our unit is open for business and we continue to cater our other customers," the company said.

Listeria is a serious infection that is caused by eating food contaminated with the bacteria listeria monocytogenes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It primarily affects pregnant women, newborns and older adults.

Symptoms can include fever and diarrhea. About 1,600 people are diagnosed with listeria annually in the United States.