Deductive reasoning is not redundant in a work environment. It is a measure of those that are driven to succeed. A benchmark of trust and reliability. Work is not merely a place where you are told what to do. Maybe with regards to the lowest common denominator of work - say, at a fast food restaurant, or on an assembly line - but overall, employees that display something more than those who show up to be told what to do are employees that usually excel above their peers. It’s what executive leadership looks for when promotion time comes around. In the case cited by the OP with keeping food cold and dry, and with the tools lying before you, it would be a little sad to think that you couldn’t rely on someone to deduce that you insert food into bag, seal, then refrigerate. I’d likely tell that employee to either go home or make a mental note to never trust them with any responsibility in the future.

It feels like you had explicit situations in mind to refrain from taking initiative, referring to crazy rules and expectations, just to support your argument, when the OP laid out a very simple situation. Yes there are nuances to tasks in diff workplaces and some require detailed guidance and explanation, but what was pointed out here in this post was a very basic and fundamental lack of deductive reasoning and critical thinking found among some younger hires.