After the rather poor reception of my propose sleep mechanic and more research into combat, I feel I can offer a unique spin on the idea of Food.
First and foremost: Food should not be required to survive. This is not a Hard Core survival sim (though I wish it were, sometimes).
My proposal is thus:
Food will give bonuses/maluses to stats. These bonuses/maluses will be in the single digit percentage ranges and will cover a few skills at a time, with one primary. (+5% shooting, +2% reload, +1% crafting, +1% dodge)
Food items can be combined to improve their "t