How can you stop bacteria from growing?

Answer 1

There are several methods. The most common is to keep the media (food, nutrition source for the bacteria) cold as temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit inhibit (but do not prevent) bacterial growth. Another common method is to reduce the water activity of the media, either by removing water (drying) or adding substances that bind the water and make it unavailable to bacteria (salt, sugar). There are also various antimicrobial chemicals, agents, processing aids and other substances that will either directly or indirectly inhibit or prevent bacterial growth.

Answer 2

Refrigeration or freezing helps; or simply eating the food before it goes bad.

The food should be kept out of the temperature danger zone (135°F to 40°F), which means that cold foods should be kept cold and hot foods should be kept hot.