The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, Meta, has allegedly relieved about 24 staff members at its Los Angeles office of their jobs.
The affected staff were accused of using their $25 (£19) meal credits to buy items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent, acne pad and wine glasses.
It was gathered that the dismissals followed an investigation that revealed the employees had been exploiting the system, including sending food home when they were not physically present at the office.
One of the terminated employees was an unnamed worker earning a $400,000 salary.
Another sacked employee anonymously shared on the messaging platform Blind, explaining how she and her colleagues maximized their dinner credits to buy other necessities when they could get food elsewhere.
The breach was discovered as part of the human resources procedure even though one of the workers admitted to it.
According to reports, employees who occasionally bent the rules received warnings but retained their positions.
Free meals have long been a benefit for employees of major tech firms like Meta, founded by Mark Zuckerberg.
Typically, staff at larger offices, including Meta’s Silicon Valley headquarters, enjoy complimentary meals from on-site canteens.
Employees at smaller locations receive daily food credits, redeemable through delivery services like UberEats and Grubhub, with allowances of $20 for breakfast, $25 for lunch and $25 for dinner.
