Nearly half of fast food workers reported witnessing at least one serious food safety problem at their workplace in the past year, according to a new survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the California Fast Food Workers Union (CFFWU). Examples of serious food safety issues include sewer water flooding, rodent and pest infestations, not having proper time or facilities for handwashing, cross-contamination and food temperature abuse, and the serving of expired or spoiled food to customers.

Moreover, respondents said they are likely to experience retaliation for speaking up about food safety issues, and that they face pressures from management to work while sick.

The survey was conducted in July 2025 with 338 workers at more than 200 fast food locations across California.

Serious Food Safety Problems Observed by Fast Food Workers

The survey revealed that serious food safety issues are frequently observed at fast food establishments by employees, with 47 percent of respondents saying that they saw at least one serious food safety problem at their fast food jobs in the past year. A third (34 percent) of respondents said they saw two or more serious food safety problems at work in the last year. Regarding specific food safety issues:

• 29 percent of respondents reported seeing sewage/sewer water flooding while the store was open
• 24 percent saw evidence of pests or vermin, such as droppings or bites on food or food packaging
• 24 percent said they lack access to a working toilet or warm water for handwashing, and/or were not given enough time for thorough handwashing
• 21 percent saw cross-contamination and/or foods not being stored at proper temperatures
• 16 percent saw expired, rotten, or moldy food served to customers.

Among those who reported seeing issues with pests and vermin, sewer water flooding, toilets and handwashing, or cross-contamination and food storage temperatures, 53 percent said management did not address the problem(s) in a timely manner. Of those 53 percent of respondents, 82 percent said management did not fix the problem because they did not take it seriously, said it was not important, or said it was too expensive to fix.

Significantly, more than one-third (37 percent) of respondents who reported food safety issues at work or asked for changes to improve food safety said they experienced retaliation for doing so.

Restaurant Inspection Records Support Survey’s Findings

A review of restaurant inspection and closure records for California fast food brands by CFFWU supports the survey’s findings. Focusing on 20 of the largest fast food franchises in California’s 12 largest counties, the review analyzed available health department records dated 2022–2025. Across all brands and counties reviewed, nearly 250 incidents were identified that involved major health violations and/or closures at fast food restaurants. Many of the incidents involved multiple major violations of health and safety laws, and over 75 percent of these incidents resulted in restaurant closures ordered by local health officials.

CFA and CFFWU say that the incidents identified in the review likely represent only a small fraction of actual health violations, due to “complaint gaps” and low numbers of inspections due to inadequate enforcement.

Fast Food Workers Face the Pressure to Work While Sick

In addition to the observation of serious food safety problems, another key issue reported by survey respondents include the pressure to work while exhibiting symptoms of infectious illnesses—despite the spread of pathogens by sick employees being a leading cause of foodborne illness originating at restaurants. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) latest estimates, most viral foodborne illness outbreaks are caused by contamination from ill food workers at foodservice establishments.

Per the present survey, in the past year:

• 60 percent of respondents said they or a coworker have worked while exhibiting symptoms of communicable illness, such as vomiting, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, or cough
• 47 percent reported to work even though they were sick
• 97 percent of those who said they reported to work while sick said they did so because of pressure from management, fears of retaliation, not being able to find coverage, or being unable to afford to miss work.

Recommendations to Improve Fast Food Safety

In their report, CFA and CFFWU propose several recommendations to improve food safety at fast food establishments, including:

• Bringing fast food employers into compliance with relevant food safety and occupational safety regulations
• Strengthened enforcement of public health and workplace safety laws, including full staffing of relevant local and state departments
• Bolstering mechanisms to protect workers from retaliation for reporting hazards and refusing to work while sick
• Training and education for fast food workers on what to do if their employers ignore food safety hazards or pressure sick employees to work, as well as how to access paid sick leave.