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This is why dry and salted foods are at lower risk of being hazardous. Moisture: Bacteria need moisture to survive and will grow rapidly in moist foods.A common example is a product containing harmful Clostridium botulinum (botulism-causing) bacteria that has been improperly processed during canning, and then is consumed without any further cooking or reheating. Food that has been improperly processed and then stored at room temperature can be at risk from anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria will only grow in oxygen-free environments. Aerobic bacteria require oxygen to grow, so will not multiply in an oxygen-free environment such as a vacuum-packaged container. Oxygen: There are two types of bacteria.When small numbers of bacteria are present, the risk is usually low, but extended time with the right conditions will allow the bacteria to multiply and increase the risk of contamination
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Time: Bacteria require time to multiply.This is referred to as the danger zone(see the section below for more information on the danger zone).
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