Food Poisoning

Food Poisoning is a disease caused by ingesting contaminated food or drink. Duplicants are exposed when they consume food that contains Food Poisoning germs, and this counts as having been infected by Food Poisoning germs; after that, they may fall ill when they wake up at the start of the next cycle. The ingestion that causes it includes eating germy food as well as drinking things made from contaminated liquid, such as coffee brewed from infected water.

Food Poisoning germs can accumulate on food and ingredients over time. Once germs are present, cooking is a reliable way to clear them: any recipe made in the Microbe Musher removes Food Poisoning germs completely from its inputs. This makes the Microbe Musher useful not only as an emergency food source, but also as a sanitation step when food supplies have been exposed to germs.

Because food spoilage and germ spread are separate systems, keeping food safe requires attention to both freshness and contamination. Food is preserved best when stored in a Deep Freeze and a Sterile Atmosphere, but sterilizing storage alone does not remove Food Poisoning germs already present on the item. In practice, the safest workflow is to prevent germ contamination where possible, then cook contaminated ingredients before serving them, and store the finished meal in conditions that slow spoilage.

A few practical points follow from this:

• Food Poisoning can be contracted by eating germy food directly.
• Drinks made from contaminated ingredients can also transmit it.
• Cooking contaminated ingredients in the Microbe Musher removes the germs entirely.
• Proper food storage slows spoilage, but does not by itself cleanse germs from the food.

In short, Food Poisoning is a food-borne disease that primarily matters when contaminated ingredients reach the dining table. The key countermeasure is sanitation through cooking, combined with careful food handling and storage.