Is it permissible for an employee to take and eat a portion of the food remaining from the analysis of food shipment samples in a government laboratory, knowing that it will spoil if left in storage?

There is no harm in taking samples after their examination has concluded if they are going to spoil and perish. Taking them is better than leaving them to waste and decay, for whoever precedes others to a permissible item that people abandon out of disinterest, then he has more right to it. This permissibility is restricted to items that are minor and destined for spoilage. As for items that are not like that, they should be returned to their owners if they are known; otherwise, they should be sold and the proceeds deposited into the state treasury.