I think "persist through death" removes one of the two excuses for not using the food buffs. "I don't wanna waste my money". Having it be a consistent effect rather than one based on performance incentivizes the usage of the buff for risky content when it is most effective.

So all in all, I think it's going to be a positive effect that ultimately will increase the total usage over the long term by making consumption of the item more desireable.