The 'Five-Second Rule' Myth
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Pretend that you are about to eat a delicious cookie, and it suddenly drops onto the kitchen floor.
Is it safe to eat?
Some people would tell you to go ahead and enjoy it if it hasn't been on the floor for more than five seconds. According to this so-called rule, food that comes in contact with a dirty floor for five seconds or less doesn't have time to pick up enough bacteria to make you sick.
Well, experts say the rule is a myth. Don't eat the food.
Studies by scientists have shown that the longer food stays on a dirty surface, the more unsanitary it can get. But in even as little as five seconds, food can pick up enough bacteria to make you sick.
For example, researchers at Clemson University in South Carolina showed that bologna and bread left for five seconds on a surface that had been contaminated with salmonella collected between 150 and 8,000 bacteria. Just a handful of the bacteria can make you sick.
The surface your food falls on might not always be dirty, but you can't be sure.
So to be safe, go get a fresh cookie.
