>>539742747
The main thing about replicators is they use a LOT of power. On a starfleet ship with a warp core, they have all the power they need. Space saved from carrying food and clothes can be used to carry fuel for the warp core.
For new colonies, they grow good because they don't yet have a reactor powerful enough to run full replicators all the time. Starfleet can do it in Federation space because refuelling is free and easy, and ships are top priority. A planetary colony can grow food, mine resources and make things, so why waste fuel just so they can have an antimatter reactor to make them tea.
It's just little details that different writers drop here and there, which the series was always willing to ignore if it was convenient for the story.
Replicators were "balanced" by still requiring power, which means power plants, which means favourable locations, fuel consumption, maintenance and manpower.
Biggest issue with Star Trek has always been the autistic nerds who take it too seriously and try to explain everything rather than just suspend their disbelief and enjoy the ride.