RiP

Originally called Recipe Production Units, shortened to RiP in most casual conversation. RiPs were originally touted as the answer to long distance voyages and food crisis, despite requiring a substantial amount of energy to maintain and run effectively. Critics pointed out the comparative low quality results and questionable nutritional content when compared to traditional foodstuffs, but they were quickly forgotten and the industry exploded once a major agricultural system was devastated by a nearby supernova. RiP units began flying out of the production plants practically faster than they could be made, and competitors to the original brand shot up across space.
The bubble couldn't last forever however, and a major interstellar court case was made over thousands of reported illnesses and injuries arising from malfunctioning or straight up ill constructed units. The ongoing lawsuits cost the industry a fortune, driving some smaller RiP producers out of business and forcing the others to adapt. New regulatory commissions were appointed to oversee the safety and wellness standards of all new units coming out of factories, and several third party groups arose to 'certify' the safety of various submitted RiP machines and allow companies to put their seal of approval on their units.
Nowadays, with those controversies long in the past, RiP units are considered an ordinary if not outright dull piece of everyday life across most of the galaxy. The technology has improved greatly, though most people still agree that the average RiPs can't really compete with fresh, traditionally grown ingredients. At least in matters of nutrition however, the companies must uphold to certain levels of nutritional value imparted to every produced foodstuff - at least, to every official recipe. Many pirated and illegially distributed recipe chips can be found at every space station and dock, some lovingly curated with genuinely intriguing dishes, but most being questionable at best.
While most spaceships and stations house a certain number of RiPs per amount of crew or populace, in general people eat a mixture of RiP food and traditionally grown. As a general rule, the less money you have, the more you rely on RiP meals. Certain species are incompatible with the machine built food however, and must ensure they have appropriate nutritional solutions at all times. Still other groups - especially military forces and others focused on efficiency - rely heavily on nutrition tablets rather than a time-consuming meal.

Nutrition tablets are often seen as a quick, cheap, and efficient means of sustaining a large force of people. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the force of people in question are particularly happy about them. The nickname 'Tabbers' refers to mercenaries and other soldiers-for-hire, growing from the strong association between such groups and their heavy use of nutrient tabs. In some circles, it is joked that Ulkar 7 alone keeps the industry in business.

by jarmoluk