> The implicit assumption central to this way of organising the economy is that anything legally on sale is "safe". That it has been checked and approved by experts
This applies to certain producs only and even in the EU where these laws are more strict some products are regularly withdrawn from sale (these are mostly quality issues, not intentional actions), even as far as drugs are concerned. It's one of the reasons I tend to buy fresh products and from bio shops mostly - to increase my chances.
There are a lot of products. Mistakes are a statical certainty at this scale, and regular recalls are a sign the system is working, at least to an extent (I'd say it works quite well, safety-wise).
Interesting choice wrt. bio foods. I'm the opposite: I don't trust organic/bio food at all. There is a lot of vanity products clearly meant to pay more to make yourself feel you're choosing a healthier alternative. Plus, I trust the established industrial processes more - they're thoroughly regulated and tested. A devil I know. Bio/organic stuff, who knows what they're doing - and what poisons they're spraying on their produce, that let you keep "organic" label but are otherwise more toxic than industrial pesticides.
I like the way you put it "to increase my chances" because I've heard more than once from adepts of bio products promoting as it would be the holy grail. Bio producers can make mistakes too, they can be neglecting or even nasty too, it's just, chances are higher with them to get better quality produce. If you can afford it, that is.
This applies to certain producs only and even in the EU where these laws are more strict some products are regularly withdrawn from sale (these are mostly quality issues, not intentional actions), even as far as drugs are concerned. It's one of the reasons I tend to buy fresh products and from bio shops mostly - to increase my chances.