It happened during an ordinary lunch break, the kind where meals are eaten quickly and without much thought. She sprinkled what she believed were grains of quinoa onto her salad, barely noticing how the small brown shapes blended in with the leafy greens. But after a few bites, something caught her eye. The pieces looked too uniform, too tightly clustered, and oddly attached to a lettuce leaf. She paused, leaned closer—and immediately realized something was wrong. They weren’t grains at all. The moment of recognition was unsettling, and she stopped eating instantly.

While the discovery can be shocking, insects laying eggs on leafy produce is more common than many people realize. Certain insects naturally deposit their eggs on the undersides of leaves, including those used in salads. In most cases, accidental contact—or even accidental ingestion—is not considered harmful. Still, encountering something like this understandably raises concern. More often than not, it points to insufficient washing or inspection rather than a serious health risk.

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