One of the most popular and long-lived old wives' tales is known as the "5-second
rule". The "rule" stipulates that food that has fallen on the floor is still safe to eat if you pick it
up within five seconds of it hitting the ground. It has been around for many, many years, propagating itself on school
playgrounds across the country and possibly even the world. Variations exist, shortening the rule to 3 seconds or
expanding it to 10, but the basic theory remains. Unfortunately, it isn't true, as the Sacramento Bee's Lisa Heyamoto
found out.
While some people, from 3 to 93, will continue to believe in the truth of this tale, the reality is that most surfaces are covered with germs and bacteria and floors are no exception. Drier foods, like cookies or a bagel, are less likely to pick up unsavory particles than wetter foods, like meat and cheese. Of course, we are all coming into contact with bacteria every day, whether we're cleaning our counter with a kitchen sponge (bacteria breeding ground) or giving our pets a pat. There is very little that can be done to avoid all contact. Ms. Heyamoto reminds us not to believe that we're "safe" when we follow the rule, but that your comfort level with what your food comes into contact with is subjective. The kitchen floor? Sure. The sidewalk outside your office? Perhaps not.
You can't go wrong following the other food rule: "When in doubt, throw it out!"
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-05-2006 @ 3:59PM
youngsir said...
the 5-second rule has held true in my family for generations. it only works with dry foods though (chips, cookies, candy, etc.). you couldn't do it with a piece of sandwich meat or something like that
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2-05-2006 @ 4:03PM
Matt said...
Mythbusters (http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/episode/episode_02.html) tackled this myth also, rather conclusively. Busted, to say the least.
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2-05-2006 @ 7:50PM
jmchez said...
I hate re-stating the obvious, but in life there are no fast and hard rules, period. If you obstinately stick to a rule, you will soon hit a disaster. Common sense should dictate how you behave.
When it comes to food and bacteria, I use a combination of type of food (wet, dry, etc.) type of surface (counter, clean kitchen floor, dirty kitchen floor, etc.) and length of time (5 seconds, more than 20 seconds, etc.).
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2-06-2006 @ 2:30AM
George said...
I don't worry too much about a (dry) food that falls on to a (dry, not obviously dirty) surface. Sure, bacteria exists everywhere (including the air). But, consider: are your fingers holding that food clean? What about that fork or knife that you're using? And that plate - has it been sitting in the cabinet a while? The fun never ends...
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2-06-2006 @ 8:52AM
Punisher2k said...
We are going to kill ourselves with our obsession for basteria and virus free environments. Every generation our immune systems get weaker and weaker since we aren't exposed to anything harmful in small quantities.
Take allergies to peanuts. Did you ever remember hearing about peanut allergies when you were a kid? I sure didn't. The reason why was children were exposed to small amounts of peanut resins all the time because equipment was used to make multiple things, some containing peanuts. Now that everything is seperated the kids aren't getting small exposures to build their immunity to peanuts. The end result is, someone gets kissed by someone who ate a peanut butter cup and they die.
So throw that food on the floor and eat up. Your body will thank you later.
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2-06-2006 @ 11:06AM
Blue Balloon said...
I always don't believe it. And thank to Mythbusters, that prove this rule wrong.
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2-06-2006 @ 12:03PM
B said...
When in high-school I worked at a bagel shop. One morning, while loading the "fresh" bagels (which were actually shipped from another bagel store about 45 miles away), I dropped one on the floor, in plain view of both my boss and two customers who were about to order. My boss said "five second rule," instructing me to put the bagel in the display counter. I took one look at the horrified expression on the customer's face and decided to throw it away instead.
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