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Beware of botulism! Vacuum sealing unsterilized food should only be done with serious consideration of the potential dangers.

You are quite right, preserving unsterilised foods can be dangerous, especially vegetables and meat. Cold vacuum sealing does not replace canning methods, but is used as an adjunct for things like dry foods, and helps to extend the shelf life of certain foods. Readers should thoroughly inform themselves of food preservation methods, and which methods are suitable for which foods. The article is mainly about the mechanics of cold vacuum sealing. Thank you for reminding me of the need to include a warning on the page, which I have now added.

Anaerobic organisms (C. Botulinum) and facultative anaerobes (Staphlococci & Listeria) can be deadly. Vacuum packing in jars, bags or any type of container is not a substitute for proper preservation and processing methods. Commercially available "vacuum packed" jars and cans of moist products are almost always subjected to extensive thermal treatment to inactivate these organisms.

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