Snack judgment: Spanish supermarket fired worker for eating croquette
Snack judgement: The croquette was going to be thrown away
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A Spanish court has upheld a ruling that a supermarket worker was unlawfully fired for having eaten a croquette that was going to be thrown away.
The worker was fired in July 2023 after he had ate the fried snack, which was destined for the trash after the store had closed for the day.
In a verdict, the Superior Court of Castilla-La Mancha recently rejected an appeal by the supermarket chain Mercadona of a decision by a lower court in May 2024 in favor of the worker.
The company’s policy is that workers are prohibited from consuming any product found in the store without having paid for it previously.
But the superior court found that it was common practice for workers to snack on “ready to eat” food products that were going to be thrown away after closing hours. In its ruling, it also insisted in “the important detail that the worker didn’t eat an entire package of croquettes, but instead one single croquette” that was “not going to be put back on sale the following day.”
The lower court ruling in May determined that the worker be reinstated to his job and that the supermarket chain pay him 39,700 euros ($41,800) in lost wages. The higher court has now added that Mercadona also must pay the worker 600 euros ($633) for his legal fees.
Mercadona did not immediately respond to an email from the AP asking for comment on the case.
The court documents didn't indicate the flavor of the croquette, which in Spain is a popular food typically made from ham, chicken or cod.