<<Not only has the sauce fermeted - but it contains garlic! Can anybody say, "botulism"???>> I think vinegar is the first ingredient on the bottle which probably means the pH is too low (<4.2) for clostridium growth. It is probably cooked to reach that fine pureed consistency, too. My bottles sit on countertops for weeks with no problems (that I know of). Jeff Jeffro's Serious Sauces http://www.ultranet.com/~jeffro/Home Je