Food’s value and its risk are separate
A roasted turkey can still contain energy and nutrients after it hits the ground. Dirt does not instantly erase its food value; the concern is that the surface may transfer harmful microbes or other contaminants. So “nutritious” and “safe to eat” are different judgments, even when the food itself has not changed much.
Why games may treat the turkey as edible
Games often compress that distinction into a simple item rule: food restores health, stamina, or another resource when consumed. Whether the turkey is on a clean table or a grimy alley floor may not matter unless the game gives contamination its own mechanic. That is a design choice, not a claim that dirty food is safe. Adding a contamination system means tracking another condition and teaching players how it works; leaving it out keeps scavenging quick and the item’s effect easy to understand.
The result is a familiar game-world shortcut: a fallen meal can remain useful because the game measures its benefits but ignores the hazards. In real life, the turkey’s calories do not make the alley floor harmless—and a food’s usefulness is not the same as a reason to eat it.
