It’s not just purely aesthetic, although that is a big part of it.
Some of it is actual quality not related to safety: if fruit is being processed after insects have already gone to town on it, that’s not the same quality of fruit that should’ve been used, and might actually affect the flavor.
Some of it is still safety. Freezing foods generally don’t kill bacteria, and sometimes don’t even kill molds or other fungi. Neither do packaging for shelf stable dry foods like flour, rice, cornmeal, etc. That’s why the danger in raw cookie dough comes from the flour, not the eggs.
And it’s an indirect issue, but insect contamination may also be an indicator of other dangers that aren’t solved by processing. Metal shavings or bits of rock can get into food, and having a tightly controlled process should prevent those dangers, too.
And these rules are for asthetic reasons, not safety, because the processes used kills any bacteria on them already.
It’s not just purely aesthetic, although that is a big part of it.
Some of it is actual quality not related to safety: if fruit is being processed after insects have already gone to town on it, that’s not the same quality of fruit that should’ve been used, and might actually affect the flavor.
Some of it is still safety. Freezing foods generally don’t kill bacteria, and sometimes don’t even kill molds or other fungi. Neither do packaging for shelf stable dry foods like flour, rice, cornmeal, etc. That’s why the danger in raw cookie dough comes from the flour, not the eggs.
And it’s an indirect issue, but insect contamination may also be an indicator of other dangers that aren’t solved by processing. Metal shavings or bits of rock can get into food, and having a tightly controlled process should prevent those dangers, too.