The article I linked to mentioned that fresh herbs could be a source as well. The article from OP mentions peppers can as well. So, I guess one has to be careful.
I wouldn’t do this myself, but theoretically heating the oil relatively high for a while before consuming would destroy any toxin buildup. The other route would be adding enough acid to prevent botulism from growing, but I think that can be a bit tricky.
Botulinum toxins are large, easily denatured proteins... by heating to 80°C
(176°F) for 20 minutes or > 85°C (185°F) for at least 5 minutes. Their heat resistance varies with composition of the food or other medium, and the concentration of the toxin. Reports suggest that HTST pasteurization (72°C/162°F for 15 seconds) is likely to inactivate most or all of the toxin in contaminated milk, while conventional pasteurization at 63°C/145°F for 30 minutes seems to be less effective. Chlorine and other agents can destroy botulinum toxins in water. The vegetative cells of C. botulinum are susceptible to many disinfectants, including 1% sodium hypochlorite and 70% ethanol, but clostridial spores are very resistant to inactivation. They can be destroyed in the autoclave with moist heat (120°C/ 250°F for at least 15 minutes) or dry heat (160°C for 2 hours) or by irradiation. The spores of group I strains are inactivated by heating at 121°C (250°F) for 3 minutes during commercial canning. Spores of group II strains are less heat-resistant, and they are often damaged by 90°C (194°F) for 10 minutes, 85°C for 52 minutes, or 80°C for 270 minutes; however, these treatments may not be sufficient in some foods.
The spores are, but the toxin is the problem and breaks down with heat so, in theory, if you boil the food for a bit before eating it, it would be safe.
No, that's not correct. Hence it being a (overblown US citizen internet commenter) concern with preserved food. Can something like tomatoes, not naturally that acidic in a preparation that doesn't lower the pH much, and even though you've heated it and killed things in the process and it's now in a vacuum, it can potentially still develop.
