You are thinking in RPG terms.

Dark uprising is straight up 40k grimdark, meat is corpse starch fresh from your territory, gained by killing enemies and if push comes to shove....

Your own gang carries meat on their bones.

Meat only matters during the last half of the dark uprising, society had broken down, money is worthless.
 
Dark Uprising kind falls down here, anyway. It's got tons of rules about meat and starvation. But, the effects of starvation are situational, and when they take effect, can be humorous (in a fine young cannibal sort of way).