SCP-244

Item #: SCP-244

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-244 is to be held in a custom-built containment cell, 8.5m x 4.25m x 6m high, at a depth of approximately 1 km below the surface of the Earth. The interior of the containment cell is to be kept at a temperature of 25°C and relative humidity of approximately 75%, with temperatures below this range prohibited at all times. All waste products produced by SCP-244 are to be removed from the containment chamber and disposed of daily, with any waste products left over being recycled through an automated processing system.

This waste material may only be used for the production of food; consumption of other materials such as plastics or metals is prohibited. Food produced by SCP-244 is permitted to be eaten by staff members assigned to its containment; consumption of SCP-244 itself is prohibited.

Once every month, personnel who have worked around SCP-244 for more than 2 months are to be tested on their ability to maintain diet within a physiological range where malnutrition does not occur or cause distress to the subject. If a diet cannot be maintained for more than 3 consecutive months without ill effects, personnel cannot remain employed in proximity to SCP-244 until further notice.

Description: SCP-244 is a small cluster of anomalous plants located in an area designated Site-05; these plants are capable of producing food at a rate over 200 times the metabolic energy required to grow them. The food produced by SCP-244 is composed primarily of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, with trace amounts of vitamins A, B, C and D. Test fuel values for food produced by SCP-244 indicates that it contains approximately 10% by mass of fat and 45% by mass of carbohydrates; this number does not take into account calories or nutrients that can be obtained from the food.

SCP-244 grows in several varieties, each one appearing as a single large leaf occupying roughly half of the leaf mass. The largest variety of SCP-244 is a lettuce-like plant, while other varieties include bitter melon (a type of vegetable similar to watermelon), collard greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts (again), mustard greens, kohlrabi, cucumbers, zucchini, celery and satoshi bok choy (the latter two are Asian radish). While many varieties produce different types of food and require different harvesting practices, all forms of SCP-244 produce their own unique foodstuffs.

When humans eat the food produced by SCP-244, they experience no physiological effects other than a slight increase in metabolism for around 5 minutes following its consumption. This is thought to be due to the manner in which human digestive tracts handle excessive amounts of sugars; however, the subject’s metabolism returns to normal when the food has been completely digested.

Test Subjects:

Testing started with 3 staff members who had some familiarity with gardening due to previous employment as gardeners or groundskeepers. Two subjects were quickly found to have no problem eating the processed food produced by SCP-244 after a week's worth of lab time. The third subject reported that he did not enjoy the taste despite having no physiological effects upon consumption; after 2 days he was transferred to another facility due to concerns regarding his ability to maintain dietary needs without side effects or malnutrition progressing too far.

Recalled Subject: Dr ██████ ███████████

Dietary requirements satisfied on 1 February 2012; continued testing carried out at Area 51 until 24 March 2012 when Dr ███████████ suffered acute starvation after not consuming any processed food produced by SCP-244 for 48 hours. Subject died shortly after on 25th despite being under Foundation control; body was dismembered and dissolved through automated processing equipment following death and investigation cleared for review.

Addendum: On 9 May 2012, a letter was found in Dr ███████████'s office in Area 51; the enclosed note has been transcribed below:

The food grown by SCP-244 is one of the most exciting pieces of technology that I have ever experienced. While our current generation struggles with maintaining a sustainable diet, we can produce food in every nutrient profile in a week's time, and at no cost to the consumer. The only downside to the process would be that it does not allow for individual variation; however, this hasn't really been an issue so far, as all nutritionists have stated that if an organism grows to its optimal size and nutritional requirements, it will naturally expire if any part of it is not fed properly.

I have to say that I am quite surprised at how quickly this technology has progressed; I honestly didn't expect it to be fully operational until sometime after 2020 at the earliest. It appears that the Foundation has even more faith in this technology than I do. Despite my personal discomfort regarding the subject matter, I can only hope that I can continue to provide you with such exciting news and assist with the implementation of this new discovery.