Just how safe is it to eat food that was dropped on the floor?!
We've finally found out if the five second rule works - you know, the ancient, unwritten rule which allows you to eat food you've dropped on the floor, but only within five seconds.
Scientists at Rutgers University in New Jersey have put the rule to the test and the results are disappointing.
Donald Schaffner, a food microbiologist at the college, tested different food which fell on various surfaces to see what amount of bacteria had transferred.
He found that "in some instances, the transfer begins in less than one second."
We're going to have to be quicker picking up that toast!
He took four types of food - watermelon, bread, bread and butter and gummy sweets - and dropped them on four surfaces - stainless steel, ceramic tile, wood and carpet.
Watermelon was found to have the most contamination, while gummy sweets had the least.
Donald said wet foods pick up bacteria quickly:
"Transfer of bacteria from surfaces to food appears to be affected most by moisture. Bacteria don’t have legs, they move with the moisture, and the wetter the food, the higher the risk of transfer. Also, longer food contact times usually result in the transfer of more bacteria from each surface to food."
Regarding surfaces, carpet (surprisingly) proved to have very low transfer rates compared with tile and stainless steel.
Speaking about the results, Donald said:
"The five-second rule is a significant oversimplification of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food. Bacteria can contaminate instantaneously."
Will you still eat food you've dropped on the floor?!
