Finding something unexpected in your lunch can be upsetting, especially when it looks like a clump of tiny brown balls on your lettuce.

It may be surprising, but sometimes you find insect eggs in a salad. If you’ve ever found something similar while eating out or preparing greens at home, here’s what you need to know.

What are these little brown balls in your salad?

It’s possible that these tiny, perfectly round, tightly packed spheres are insect eggs rather than food.

Specifically, they resemble the eggs of an insect that feeds on leaves, such as a stink bug.

Lettuce and other green leafy vegetables are frequently used as carriers for insect eggs in salads, as these insects lay their eggs in specific patterns, often on the underside of the leaves.

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