The problem I have with this spell is its over powered for its level. Compare the 3rd level create food and drink, it creates enough food to feed 15 humanoid sized creatures. While goodberry, a first level spell, can feed 10 gargantuan creatures.
Ya, magic is weird, huh? I'd be quicker to say Create Food and Drink is under-powered, if the distinction matters, but you make a valid point.
Class themes and class spell lists suffice as explanation for the differential, as far as I'm concerned. Admittedly, I'm not that concerned, because tracking food resources is rarely a part of my games, but to elaborate, I look at it the same way as how wizards get better damaging spells than clerics. Goodberry is OP compared to Create Food and Water the same way Fireball is OP compared to Flame Strike. It's about occupying certain niches in game space, and with food consumption already a relatively unimportant (in my games) aspect of adventuring, the level difference between the two spells barely registers on my list of things wrong with balance issues.