To think it's selfish to eat from special dietary requirements when you have none?

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At a work conference, where a catered lunch is being offered. There are specific sections for dietary requirements with limited supplies eg vegan, gluten free, nut free, along with a larger section for ordinary non-vegetarian sandwiches with ordinary bread. The guy ahead of me takes something from every single section including the ordinary non-vegetarian section, so clearly is not a vegan with gluten allergies! Why do people do this? As someone with specific dietary requirements I've been left many times with very little to eat because others have eaten food without thinking about whether others might actually need it.

No it's not good if people leave others hungry when they have plenty of other food. They can try vegan food when they go shopping.

I'm on the fence with this one. If a buffet is 'help yourself' I think the responsibility lies with the caterers. If you have been asked about preferences and allergies before hand, I'd expect your meal to be separate and allocated to you. If I saw gluten free bread and standard bread I'd opt for the later, but if I saw eg a pasta mix that was veggie or vegan and I didn't fancy the one with bits of chicken in it, I'd take a scoop of that. I'd no more think it was my responsibility to think about other people's choices than if I took the last chicken leg (that someone else might want). I would though scan what was offered and take a fair overall portion.
I think it's unreasonable to think omnivores shouldn't eat veggie/vegan food that's freely available.

I attended a wedding in 2019. Based on a conversation with the bride prior to the big day, i’m fairly confident the vegan lasagne was for the vegetarians and vegans (I’m vegetarian). However, to this day i feel a pang guilt and concern that i made a mistake and perhaps some poor vegan went without their lunch because of me.

No. In a buffet situation you're not ordering your requirements. You're saying you have no specific requirements. The onus is on the caterers to ensure there is enough for everyone.

So often these buffets are so badly organised. I’ve been left with no lunch before because the caterers didn’t know not to mix the prawn sandwiches in with the rest.

Honestly, as a non vegetarian, vegan, or dietary-restricted person, this is not something I would think about in a buffet situation unless it was communicated beforehand. To me, buffets or potlucks are all about trying a little of everything, regardless of how it's made. I don't think it's selfish or entitled to assume that you're allowed to eat anything, especially if there's no clear indication that some foods were meant for specific people. You're supposed to grab anything you want to try, that's the whole point of buffet-style.

I probably wouldn't take the last portion if there were still a lot of people waiting to get food though. There's definitely people who take more than they need, but again, I don't think it's the guest's fault to assume the event organizers ordered plenty of food to feed everyone.

For catering at my workplace, they just default to vegetarian and as much allergen free foods as possible, perhaps to avoid this situation. Maybe you could let the conference organizers know about this so they can change the way they order in the future and perhaps put out clear signage to make people more aware.

YANBU. It's not just the selfish other attendees, though, as others point out the caterers are often largely at fault. As a coeliac, I often find they assume I also don't want dairy or meat either, so at a recent work do I was offered a choice of 3 bean salad or... lettuce!! The canteen is not much better as 3 days a week at least, all that's available is a jacket potato with beans and cheese while the menu for everyone else has 2 main meals, an alternative potato topping, a salad bar (yes, they even manage to make that full of pasta, bulgur wheat etc.), a pasta bar (why can't they occasionally use GF pasta), soup and street food bar, oh and sandwiches, too.

not necessarily the gluten free, but given that we're all getting the message to eat less meat, not surprising that many will pick meat free options from a buffet.
Whoever is organising the catering should be more clued in

And if stuff is gluten free, it shouldn't be out on a mixed buffet table anyway, cross contamination issues

A buffet should be available to all. Items need clearly identifying obviously, but a good caterer would in the first place provide sufficient allergy free items for everyone to try if they wished, and secondly, the organisers should have a list of names and special requirements available for the caterers, who should hold back suitable food for them until at least the first wave has gone through the buffet and after checking all allergy sufferes have sufficient, the extra food can then be added to the rest of the buffet.
Surprisingly to some, most people enjoy most food and if it looks nice will want to try it. As long as labelling is clear and the organisers and caterers are organised there's no reason at all why only allergy sufferers and vegans can eat 'free from" foods. Here's a thought - most of the food (labelled) could be "free from" with just a few containing gluten, dairy, meat, fish and other allergens available.
For safety before people start thinking along those lines - when stating you have an allergy I would be inclined to ask for your own food to be plated, clingfilm and delivered straight to you.
If involved in organising an event, really think about how to accommodate special diets sympathetically and ensuring there's a good choice and plenty of it available

I have many dietary needs and whilst I am not vegan/vegetarian there are specific foods I can’t eat (just as a example tomatoes, cheese & and certain breads but not all) so personally if I was at a buffet I would take whatever I could eat and some of this may mean a mix of both sides of the buffet , however I wouldn’t necessarily list these as a dietary requirement if I was given a form as the foods I can’t eat don’t fall into a specific category of requirement and I wouldn’t want to make a fuss listing them all because there is that many

Vegan isn't a dietary requirement, it's a dietary choice and therefore there is no entitlement to be catered for, so I have no issue with people eating that. However, anything that is medically required for a serious condition/allergy such as the gluten/nut free food, I do think it's wrong to eat that if you don't need it

Perhaps the caterers should label the fake meat, cheese, etc as

"Fake (whatever), contains (list of all the strange additives that aren't in the real product)."

That might stop the carnivores from trying it.

put on a seperate table with a visible gap and lable 'for those with declared dietary requirements only'

done

My sister pretty much went vegan (because it was easier) when she was dairy intolerant.

I went somewhere last year and was asked about dietary needs. I ticked no dairy. (because some people don't understand why I can't have cheese but can have other things made with milk) I was told it was lumped in with vegan. But I'm not vegan! I was told I could go and get food myself.

This.

In case of allergy surely it should be kept separate anyway in case of cross contamination.

Lots of meat eaters eat vegetarian food as well. Is everything without meat now only placed for the non meat eater? We've always had buffet items without meat for everyone.

Gluten free is a dietary requirement IMO and should be left for those who need it. I am not a vegetarian, but I don't eat mystery meat (I need to know what I'm eating and preferably how it was sourced) so at a buffet I often go for the vegetarian option. If I'm providing a buffet at work I always order at least 50% vegetarian options too, which I think should be totally standard.

If you are setting all the food out on a long table it's actually good practice to have gluten free food first so that people don't handle the gluten food and then touch the gluten free because that can create contamination. If there's space they should always be served at a separate station, but never at the end of a buffet.

I totally agree that more vegetarian food should be provided as standard - it should be at least 50/50 imo. The idea that because someone is not vegetarian they exclusively eat meat is bonkers!

@GlasgowGal82 my point was if I am at a buffet and all of the (non gluten free sandwich’s ) contained something I couldn’t eat e.g tomatoes or cheese I would take a gluten free one if these didn’t contain them said fillings

just because a person isn’t categorised as a vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free etc doesn’t mean they can eat anything and everything else. There is lots of food I can’t eat but they don’t fall into the specific categories

You might prefer to go hungry. A lot of things are good gluten free but not pre-made sandwiches that have been sitting out a while!

Being vegetarian or vegan isn’t a dietary choice in some cases

I went vegetarian initially because whenever I ate meat I ended up doubled up in pain with stomach ache.

Decided to try cutting out meat for a month and it was like someone handing my life back to me. I went a whole month without meat and without stomach ache
And I stayed like that for decades.

Then I worked out my psoriasis/eczema eased without dairy but I love cheese and vegan cheese was horrible. I would avoid cheese for the most part but would suffer the consequences occasionally when I craved cheese
Then I discovered Violife Greek cheese and relatively Cathedral city vegan mature cheese and I actually prefer them to normal cheese

I also discovered all the other stuff I am allergic to and now have completely clear skin
It took 60 years for me to be referred for allergy testing

Yes- this100%. My body cannot digest meat. My second covid vaccine left me with very bad inflammation which led to dairy and egg intolerances.

it’s really not that uncommon, yet because it’s not well known I believe many carry on without realising the problem