AITA for not throwing out a salad that wasn’t mine?

Jonathan Hours
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In a bustling medical office, a routine day took a tense turn when a well-meaning admin stumbled into a health scare over a salad. Tasked with handling food from a doctor’s meeting, they spotted walnuts in a salad—a no-go in a nut-free workplace due to a coworker’s severe allergy. Instead of tossing it, they slapped a note on it and planned to take it home, only for an emergency to derail their plan and spark a workplace uproar.

What seemed like a small decision snowballed into a lesson in responsibility, with an allergic coworker’s safety hanging in the balance. As emails flew and fingers pointed, this admin was left questioning their choice. Get ready for a story that’s equal parts office chaos and a reminder that even salads can stir up serious drama.

‘AITA for not throwing out a salad that wasn’t mine?’

I know the title sounds weird, but it's what happened. I work in an office with about 15 other people as an admin. Our jobs are to support the doctors that work in the office. We have about 20 of them in the office. One of my coworkers is severely allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts, so we have a rule that you can't bring those in to the office under any circumstances.

Their allergy is bad enough that they carry an epi pen with them everywhere they go. The other day, one of the doctors brought us food from a meeting they attended. It was a bag of sandwiches and two large salads. I was helping to take them to the kitchen when I noticed one of the salads had walnuts in it.

I told one of my coworkers and she said someone should take it home as opposed to having it out to share, due to the allergy. I should have gone to another floor and disposed of it immediately. Instead, and this is where I might be the AH, I said I'd take it home. So I put a giant, bright blue post it on the container that said

Unfortunately I had an emergency come up and had to leave work early. It caused me to forget the salad, and I wasn't going to be back in the office the following day either. So I text two other coworkers and told them about the salad and told them one of them should take it home. Yesterday I was working from home and got a message from the coworker who had the allergy.

They asked if I had left the note in the salad. I explained, yes, but I wasn't the one who brought it in, and I had meant to take it home. Co-worker then tells me they had, for some reason, grabbed the salad and now they had to take Benadryl. I apologized profusely, but they were obviously very upset, and did wind up leaving work early.

Later that day our boss sent out an email reminding everyone that nuts of any kind, in any form, are forbidden at work and that everyone deserves a safe work environment. This email only went out to all of my coworkers, and not to any of the doctors, which I don't feel was fair.. I feel terrible I didn't throw the salad away, but aitah for not doing so?

A nut-filled salad in a nut-free office is like leaving a landmine in the break room, and this admin’s choice to store it in the fridge, even temporarily, was a risky move. Their intent to take it home was derailed by an emergency, but the allergic coworker’s exposure—needing Benadryl after touching the container—shows how quickly things can escalate. The doctor broke the rules, but the admin’s hesitation shares the blame.

This highlights a broader issue: workplace allergen safety. According to a 2021 Food Allergy Research & Education report, 1 in 10 adults has a food allergy, and cross-contamination is a leading cause of reactions. In nut-free zones, strict adherence is critical to prevent harm.

Allergy specialist Dr. Scott Sicherer notes, “In allergen-free workplaces, every employee must act as a gatekeeper to protect vulnerable colleagues”. The admin’s decision to keep the salad, even with a note, risked cross-contamination, especially in a shared fridge. Dr. Sicherer’s insight underscores the need for immediate action over temporary fixes.

To prevent repeats, the admin could advocate for clearer food policies, like mandatory allergen checks for brought-in items. Training on allergy protocols would help, too. Readers, this is a wake-up call: in shared spaces, vigilance saves lives. Check your workplace’s safety rules to keep everyone in the clear.

Here’s the comments of Reddit users:

The Reddit crowd served up a buffet of takes, from slamming the admin’s oversight to questioning the coworker’s fridge grab. With shade for the doctor and sympathy for the allergy sufferer, these comments are as tangy as a vinaigrette. Here’s what they had to say.

ThePhilV − we have a rule that you can't bring those in to the office under any circumstances \[...\] one of the doctors brought us food from a meeting they attended I'm not sure why you're the one taking the blame here. The doctor who brought the food in was clearly the one in the wrong.

I used to work in a medical office and the doctors were always treated better than the staff, like they could do no wrong, and we always wound up taking the fall for them. Super frustrating, hey? That said, you really should have immediately tossed it. If her allergy is that severe, it doesn't matter who brought the salad in, if you knew about it it kinda makes you complicit.

THAT also said - why the f**k did your coworker with a deadly nut allergy grab food that was not hers and labelled with someone else's name? There has to be some level of personal responsibility here. No matter what the rules of the office are, people can slip up sometimes. If she didn't prepare the food or watch it being prepared herself, she has to take extra precautions.

It's just a fact of life for her.. I think this is a genuine ESH post. Everyone you mentioned has some sort of culpability. eta: the number of people here who think she ate the salad is too damn high. She touched the box it was in and that gave her enough of a reaction that she had to take benadryl. If she had eaten it she would be in the hospital.

second edit: I changed my mind about the coworker with allergies being at fault. She might have been trying to get something else in the fridge, or moving things, or cleaning. The office has a policy of no nuts at all, so she shouldn't have to worry about that. The salad should not have been there, full stop.

Killingtime_4 − Info: coworker is severely allergic to the point of carrying an epi pen everywhere but in this case only needed some antihistamine. When you say she grabbed it, do you mean she ate it? Or she was in the fridge and was moving things around and touched the container that was maybe cross contaminated?

You’re at least partially TA because as soon as you put your name on it, it did in fact become your salad and your responsibility. If coworker accidentally touched it, then definitely YTA. If they ate it then ESH because who eats a salad with someone else’s name on it, especially if you have allergies?

Crazy_District_5502 − This just feels like a series of,

You forgot to take home something that wasn't even yours. That's easy to forget. NTA. I dont think it's any ONE persons fault (though, arguably, the one apparently stealing other peoples salads).. What's done is done, as long as they don't try to actively blame you for it later.

squirrelsareevil2479 − YTA for putting the salad in a communal fridge shared by the allergic person. You endangered your coworker first and then you left the salad there and forgot about it. The email not going to the doctors isn't relevant to your actions. You were definitely wrong.

Hour-Cucumber-1857 − She took a salad that had someone elses name on it and said do not open and visably had walnuts?? This person is a doctor?? Now i get why people label themselves when getting limbs amputated.. Maybe next time write it in s**tty doctor scribble so she can read??. NTA maybe she needs an optomotrist consult for herself. Get her eyes checked

VeronicaSawyer8 − we have a rule that you can't bring those in to the office under any circumstances. . but then you knowingly brought it into the kitchen?. I should have gone to another floor and disposed of it immediately. . yes.. YTA

No-Procedure5991 − YATA - she didn't eat it, she touched it. That is all that was required because the person preparing the salad touched the nuts, and then cross contaminated the packaging with the allergen. Imagine I've coated a soda can with a substance that is absorbed through the skin and and kills in less than 15 minutes.

I place the can in the communal fridge with a post-it note that says

That's what happened here. There weren't suppose to be nuts in the building in order to prevent cross contaminating surfaces. Somebody broke the rules. OP made it worse by putting the contaminated package in the communal refrigerator.

Krazzy4u − YTA because once you took responsibility for that food item you needed to take it to your car or dispose of it!. But yes, the doctors needed to be emailed also!

lifejustpassesby − YTA. This woman didn’t “dive into” or eat the salad. She touched it in a communal fridge, which is pretty common. There’s a work rule not to bring in nuts and your note didn’t state much, plus it could possibly be easy to miss. As much as she has some culpability in being unaware, it is far more your responsibility to take accountability.

It was neglectful to not only treat the salad like that without proper warning, but to also leave it for long without doing diligence in ensuring it was taken/disposed of. You were lax, it happens. You’re not the world’s worst person or anything, but you are TA here.

houseonpost − YTA:

These Reddit bites are zesty, but do they toss the blame fairly or just mix up more drama? One thing’s certain: they’re not mincing words over this salad slip.

This office salad saga proves small oversights can sprout big consequences, especially when allergies are at stake. The admin’s good intentions couldn’t outrun an emergency, leaving a coworker shaken and the office on edge. As the dust settles, we’re left wondering how to balance responsibility in a hectic workplace. Have you faced a workplace mix-up that risked someone’s safety? Share your stories below—let’s dig into keeping shared spaces safe and drama-free!

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