Next Time You Drop Food on the Floor…

When you drop food on the floor, do you pick it up and eat it? If you do, you are not alone. According to a new study, 87% of people questioned said they would or already have eaten food that was dropped on the ground. Fifty-five percent of these people were women. Here is the most surprising statistic: 81% of the women who would eat the food follow what is known as “the five-second rule.” This “rule” states that food dropped on the floor is okay to eat as long as it is picked up within five seconds. Crazy? Perhaps, but there is also some science behind the idea. A new study recorded the transfer of certain common bacteria from the different types of floors to food over time (3-30 seconds). Both the type of floor and time had an impact on the transfer of bacteria. Bacteria was least likely to transfer to carpeted surfaces and most likely to transfer to tile or laminate surfaces. The bacteria was most likely to transfer to the dropped foods if they remained on the ground for more than five seconds. It also depends on how contaminated (clean or dirty) the floor surface is so don’t laugh the next time someone drops food on a seemingly clean floor, picks it up, and eats it claiming they’re abiding by the five-second rule!