I'm with you! My son left a game running after I'd told him to pause it so they didn't starve. Needless to say, he forgot! Luckily no one was harmed in operation starvation drill
Somewhere in the Big Fish forums it's mentioned that these people--unlike the Villagers--
can't starve: They feed themselves whenever necessary. (I wouldn't bet on "whenever desirable", but I haven't searched these forums extensively.)