Pregnant woman sets out to find office food thief: Lands boss in ER

Imagine having your lunch stolen but then getting into trouble for it. Well, that is exactly what happened to one woman, whose Reddit post has gone viral.

Racking up more than 11,000 upvotes in less than 24 hours, user X said that she received a verbal warning at work after catching the person who kept stealing her lunch.

After months of her food disappearing and unsuccessful attempts to stop the hungry colleague—including labeling her meals and leaving passive-aggressive notes—the pregnant woman tried a different approach. But it backfired.

“They were relentless, and it would happen a couple of times a week,” she wrote. “I was at my wit’s end.”

The woman added that she is extra hungry due to the pregnancy and on a tight budget, so she cannot afford to replace the food, meaning she has no choice but to work on an empty stomach.

A 2024 survey conducted by Opinium Research found that 73 percent of office workers plan to bring their own lunch to work, with the top motivator being that “it’s healthier” (68 percent). Generation Z is especially likely to say they plan to bring lunch from home more often to save money (58 percent).

As a final attempt to figure out who was stealing her lunch, she decided to put cayenne pepper into the food as a decoy. More than 24 hours later, it was stolen, but a commotion soon followed. Newsweek reached out to u/Ok_Breadfruit_4935 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.

The poster wrote: “The manager was sick and stuck in the toilet for a while, her throat swelled up, she even had to go to the hospital. Turns out she had an allergic reaction.

“When she came back, she blamed me because she obviously knew exactly whose food she ate, and I told her that it’s her own fault for stealing other people’s food. Even after telling my side of the story to her boss, I got a verbal warning, and apparently, I got off lightly. Nothing happened to the manager.

“I don’t get how I’m the bad guy for messing with MY own food, but a literal thief gets away with stealing,” the poster added.

Expert Advice

Jody Findley, founder of MINDSETA, an inclusion and diversity training for businesses company, told Newsweek that situations like this aren’t uncommon.

She said: “It’s clear that the employee whose food was being stolen felt unable to raise their concerns formally and took matters into their own hands to catch the culprit, which, while understandable, was an extreme approach.

“Holding people accountable for inappropriate workplace behavior should be the norm, yet the real issue here is the company’s failure to address the root cause—ongoing food theft,” Findley added.

“While I disagree with the warning given, it’s unfortunately common for workplaces to penalize those who take action rather than addressing systemic issues. Instead of punishing the employee, the focus should be on training and coaching the manager, ensuring they uphold ethical workplace practices rather than ignoring or enabling the problem.”

Reddit Reacts

Over 700 users have commented, and they are furious about the “lunch thief”—with many offering advice and excuses in the comments.

The top comment, with 12,000 upvotes, reads: “‘You know, ever since I became pregnant, I have been having these super hard cravings for cayenne pepper.'”

However, the woman said that she already “admitted to doing it on purpose because I was tired of their thieving.”

In another comment, she added: “I wasn’t looking at it that way because I wasn’t trying to cause her any harm. I told myself that it’s just cayenne pepper, not poison. I just wanted to catch them so that they stop. Maybe I didn’t think it through, but honestly, having your food stolen every other day is the worst. She doesn’t even need it; she obviously gets paid well. It’s frustrating.”

“Your only mistake was being honest about your motives. Next time, you gotta pretend you wanted spicy food and didn’t know anybody allergic would try to share it. Save your honesty for home,” posted another user.

“Your job is toxic. Management is defending itself and the thief caught in the act while punishing the victim. This should tell you how they run the place. Take appropriate precautions, and if you’re a little petty and clever, get some payback. Burn it down on your way out,” added a third commenter.

Have you had a workplace dilemma? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.