Why aren't bugs batel bshishim? May we just grind the vegetables without checking them?

Why aren't insects batel b’shishim? Does grinding the infested product solve the problem?

Since we are forbidden to eat tola’im (insects), many products have to be checked for potential infestation. The question arises why the principle of bitul b’shishim (halachic nullification of a substance if mixed into another which is sixty times greater in volume) does not apply to tola’im.

There are two answers: 

First, the rule is that bitul only applies when the lesser amount becomes incorporated into the greater one, and can't be found; if nikar ha’issur (the forbidden substance remains discernible) within the mixture then it’s considered to exist independently, and is not batel.

Second, the rule is that a whole berya (creature) is never batel

These answers may lead to another question: If so, why can’t we simply grind the suspect ingredient, thereby addressing both issues?

The reason is that, “Ein mevatlin issur l’chatchilah” (we may not preemptively and deliberately overwhelm a non-kosher ingredient in order to be mevatel it); if we do, it is not batel. However, if produce was purchased for the purpose of following a recipe that calls for blending or grinding the ingredients (for a smoothie, for instance), it’s obvious that our intent is not to nullify the insects, and therefore it’s permissible to blend the produce without checking for bugs. However, this applies only if it's difficult to check the product for tola’im, and that it isn’t a product that is muchzak b’tolaim (assumed to be infested with bugs). 

It should be noted that if a product is muchzak b’tola’im it can be cleaned superficially so that it's no longer considered muchzak; but since there’s a possibility that some tola’im were overlooked, grinding without the intention of nullifying the issur eliminates any remaining concerns.

540⁠

https://halacha2go.com?number=540

Practical Halacha: One minute a day. By Horav Yosef Yeshaya Braun, shlita, Mara D'asra and member of the Badatz of Crown Heights.