i am famous among family & friends for my crockpot beans. no one has ever gotten ill from them. consumer reports did an article years ago about different crockpots and the safety issue of temperature that you mention. so, of course i tested temp in my fav pot and it exceeded temp the report deemed lowest safe level. been a while but i believe it was over 130F. similar to boiling water. new models of crockpots are probably better made to ensure the hight cooking temps required for safety. i love my crock pots ...i could not live w/o them. traveling construction jobs for years, living in motel rooms ---crock pots & electric skillets were a necessity.