Its amusing to note 'our' repulsion to 'spoilage' while ignoring things like the processes involving cheese, aging of beef, various fermented foods, etc.

That's because the type of bacteria, yeast or mold involved in cheesemaking, aging beef or controlled fermentation are more or less benign.

What causes food to go bad are the metabolic byproducts of whatever is growing in or on it - basically whatever the itty-bitty critters excrete. It's my theory that bacteria evolved this mechanism to make 'their' food more toxic to competing critters, like you and I. And it works, too. Whatever we throw out, they keep all to themselves. Yum!