Nobles drop items while carrying them between locations
If a noble is hauling anything and they stop for a food break or a rest, they will drop the item on the ground and often not pick it up again.
I've found berries and logs that get spoiled because they weren't brought back from the place they were harvested, or were only brought part of the way
Version:
0.24.0.17
Fixed In:
Thanks for the report - there are definitely some improvements to make here.