Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Food safety guidance calls that range the danger zone for perishable food. The figure is taken from World Health Organization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a food fact?

Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Bacteria multiply fastest between 4 and 60

Food safety guidance calls that range the danger zone for perishable food Bacterial growth is slow near freezing and again above about 60 degrees Celsius, where many cells are damaged by heat. Between those limits, common foodborne organisms can double in number in as little as 20 minutes under good conditions. That is why leftovers are cooled quickly and refrigerated rather than left on the counter. It sits in Mondo's food collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

World Health Organization

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Science trivia

More facts like this

Reheated rice carries a spore riskCooked rice left warm can grow Bacillus cereus, which survives reheating Botulism bacteria thrive without oxygenSealed low acid preserves can support Clostridium botulinum growth Raw flour carries bacteria from the fieldMilling does not sterilise grain, so uncooked dough is not safe to eat Honey is not for infants under oneIt can carry dormant botulism spores that a baby gut cannot yet stop Kombucha grows a rubbery cellulose sheetAcetic acid bacteria spin the mat that floats on the sweet tea Poaching happens below a simmerThe liquid stays near 80 degrees, with only small bubbles forming

Tags: food-safety, bacteria, temperature

Bacteria multiply fastest between 4 and 60: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Food safety guidance calls that range the danger zone for perishable food. The figure is taken from World Health Organization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a food fact?: Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.