A word or phrase for people who eat together and share the same food

From the SOED

commensal a. & n. 1 Eating at or pertaining to the same table. Late Middle English

• Commensals around the table share the same food. Yet in each one this food is converted into what they need.

This seems pleonastic, so, it is probably better to change it.

• Commensals share the same food. Yet in each one this food is converted into what they need.

Two people said to be eating together sharing the same food could be said to be communal. It is an adjective described by Merriam Webster here; I believe the 3rd definition is the most accurate for this situation:

3a: characterized by collective ownership and use of property

3b: participated in, shared, or used in common by members of a group or community

• a communal kitchen
• gathered for a communal meal

People gathering for a meal could be said to be communing. This is commonly referenced in the religious sense when some Christians will receive communion at church:

2a - capitalized : a Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are consumed as memorials of Christ's death or as symbols for the realization of a spiritual union between Christ and communicant or as the body and blood of Christ

2b: the act of receiving Communion

I will note that this is not as precise to food as @LPH answer of commensal, but I believe it is in much more common use. It has the added bonus of specifying that the two people are sharing the exact same thing, be it food, or other property. I think in this case I would describe two people sharing a plate as communal eaters, as they are sharing a communal plate.

(Ironically, the word you reject 'companions' started out with literally your desired meaning, from Latin con = together + panem = bread, but has evolved over time to something much broader and vaguer.)

In the military it is generally required or at least strongly customary for the personnel of a small(ish) unit to eat together, or if necessary due to space or kitchen limitations in large fractions like two halves or three thirds. This is called the 'mess', and the people who share it are messmates. But these (groups of) people share other activities -- and hardships and risks -- in addition to eating together, so the connotation is somewhat broader than you asked for.

Much less serious, but as long as I'm posting, in computer science a classic problem (category) in concurrency is conventionally stated in terms of 'dining philosphers'. In some extremely geeky environments you could refer to 'philosophers' and expect your hearers to make this connection.

I think the nearest terms that would be generally understood are eating companions and the very similar dining companions.

Those clearly refer to people who eat together — sharing the same table and conversation, though (as another comment pointed out) not necessarily the same food.  (Maybe in many English-speaking cultures that doesn't happen often enough to justify a specific word?)

What about the more neutral participants.

Why focus on this level of abstraction though, you can take it a level higher and just refer to the type of group. Perhaps they are ambassadors sharing the same food, or hobo's, churchgoeers, jet-setters, travelers? Maybe the sentence just needs a rewrite.

This is not your requested one word, but colloquially I'd use the phrase "family style." That indicates eating shared dishes, not individual orders.

If the people who are eating together are providing the food themselves then the term "pot-luck" would be appropriate to describe the meal, not the diners.

potluck(Merriam-Webster): 1(b) - a communal meal to which people bring food to share — usually used attributively