The five second food rule works

June 15th, 2006 · No Comments

I think if you drop dry food and pick it up off a cleanish dry floor then that’s OK. Wet food, forget it.

My daughter is pretty much convinced that any food is edible off the floor. And soil from the garden. And fake coal from our flame effect gas fire. *sigh* Luckily none of those things are lethal, even the fake coal. It’s a hard balance between giving her freedom and educating and protecting her.

Researchers at the University of Illinois say the so-called “5-Second Rule” isn’t a myth. They say when you drop food on the floor, it’s still safe to eat if you pick it up within five seconds.

That’s because it takes at least that long for germs to devour dropped food. Sticky food though, will pick up bacteria faster than dry food.

Researchers say the 5-Second Rule probably only applies to tile and hardwood floors.

Link