No matter how, when or where you
were raised, you learned if you picked food off the floor within 3 seconds, it
would still be okay to eat. Some people edit this rule to 5 seconds, and some
to however long it takes for them to pick it up. Wikipedia claims the
five-second rule is a common superstition that food dropped on the ground will
not be contaminated with bacteria if it is picked up within five seconds of
being dropped. Is there scientific basis to this assumption? Manchester
Metropolitan University tested this rule to determine how much bacteria certain
foods picked up from being on the floor for several seconds. Here is the video
containing their results:
The researchers at MMU tested a
variety of foods based on commonality: cooked pasta, ham, a biscuit, bread with
jam and dried fruit. They also were chosen because each contains a different
level of water which scientist Harold McGee of Clemson University says is “a
key factor in whether items will sustain bacterial growth in the three seconds
before they are picked up from the floor.” After testing each food for bacteria
when being on the floor in three, five, and ten second intervals, they found
that the amount of water, salt and sugar in each food was the biggest
instigator to bacteria.
The dried biscuit remained the
safest to eat, showing little signs of bacteria even after ten seconds of being
on the ground. The ham contained lots of preserved salt and nitrates, which
prevented much bacteria growth, just as the sugar did in the jam. The cooked
pasta and dried fruit, however, picked up harmful bacteria that could lead to
pneumonia and urinary track infections.
Did you
grow up following the three or five second rule? How does this experiment
change your thoughts on the rule, if at all? How long would you let food sit on
the ground before still picking it up? Are there foods you would consider
picking up now that you never would have before?
Personally, even after watching this video and knowing that things may become contaminated, I will still abide by the 5 second rule. I have used it all of my life and really I'm just not a germaphobe. Whenever I do drop food on the ground, I am sure to pick it up quickly, I don't just watch it fall and let it sit there for 10 minutes and then decide to pick it up and eat it. Some foods that I drop on the ground though I would not consider picking up and eating again like salad and pasta. Also, it really matters what floor I dropped it on. If it was at home I would pick it up, but in a restaurant I would definitely not pick the food up off the floor and eat it.
ReplyDeleteI have applied the 3 second rule ever since I was little and still use it today. I was definitely shocked to hear how fast foods like pasta and dried fruit are contaminated by bacteria within seconds. Although, I would never even think about picking up foods like pasta, pizza, or steak off of the floor because that's just gross. I thought the video and information it contained was interesting but unfortunately, it did not change my opinion enough to make me stop using the 3-5 second rule. It's just a natural thing for me if I were to drop a cookie, I would pick it up real fast. If I ever do drop something on the floor that I would consider eating, I don't wait longer than a couple seconds. I would never just stare at it and wait to decide to eat it or not. Still, the only foods I would consider picking up would be like cookies, chips, or fruit. I agree with Corey though, it really depends on location as well.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, my family always used the 5 second rule; however, I've always been the odd one out in my family and during middle school became seriously germaphobic. i don't even remember the last time I used the 5 second rule. My family used to blame my horrible immune system on the fact that I was such a freak about germs. However, in my opinion, this video justifies everything I have always stood for. I strengthens my argument that food can and will get contaminated.
ReplyDeleteI have always abode by the pick-food-off-the-floor-in-as-few-seconds-as-possible-rule. Dry foods are good. Wet foods are a no go. Additionally, the floor has to be someone's home, not a public area. This video will not change my habits one bit because I've always done it this way and I'm still alive and I'm stubborn.
ReplyDeleteI have always followed this rule to an extent. I would pick it up and eat it if I really wanted it. If it wasn't something that I was looking forward to eating, I would just throw it away. This just reinforces how I have always done it. I would never pick up yet foods simply because they collect a bunch of dirt from the floor. Also, I would have picked up cookies before because they normally always sound good and I want to eat them. I agree with Paul on the public/home part. I would not eat something off the floor from a public place.
ReplyDeleteI have always used the 5 second rule as an indicator if food that had fallen on the ground was still good. I would still like to think that if I pick food up off the ground before 5 seconds it would still be safe to eat. I always make a conscious effort to pick the food up as fast as I can and I will continue to do this. But after reading this, I might consider what I pick up off the ground and eat. It was interesting to hear that foods that are high in salt and sugar really prohibit bacterial growth. In reality, I will probably never stop using the 5 second rule.
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ReplyDeleteI have never used any second rule when eating. I just cannot imagine eating food that fell off the ground ever-even if it was for 3 seconds. If I dropped something (and most of the time it would be like a small cookie, not some huge dinner platter you spent all day preparing) I would throw it out, as eating food that came from the floor could potentially get you sick which is unnecessary and avoidable. I do know friends and other families who did this, though. I have always wondered how bacteria could be on a piece food even after being on the floor for so little time so this post was very interesting to read. That will not change my eating habits though as I still find it super gross!
ReplyDeleteI've never followed any five second, three second, or any other number of seconds rule. First of all, the fact that nobody was ever able to tell me a definite rule made me wary of it. Also, germs move really, really slowly. Any germ that was there 3 seconds ago is also going to be there in a minute. So why isn't it a one minute rule, or a three minute rule, or even a ten minute rule? It never made sense to me...
ReplyDeleteAlso, after living where I've been for the last the quarter, I will never trust anything
that hits the floor ever again......
I feel like it's not time that matters when it comes to dropping food on the floor. For example, let's say you dropped a bagel on a pile of doggy doodoo and you picked it up within a second, would you still eat it? I doubt it, unless you mistakened it for chocolate or something. But, say you dropped that bagel and a sparkling clean white floor for 10 seconds. Chances are, you'd rather eat the bagel that fell on the floor than the bagel that fell on the poop. I personally would not eat a poopoo bagel even if it was on the feces for 1/10th of a second
ReplyDeleteIt's my first time to hear about this rule, as far as I can remember, my parents told me not to eat the food that have been dropped on the ground, maybe there is a cultural difference, I asked some of friends, and none of them know about it. Even though I know about it, I wouldn't use it. Actually the transmission of bacteria from ground to food is immediate, the amount of bacteria on the food is the same no matter it is on the ground for 3 seconds or 1 hour, and it's commonsense that we are all around by all kinds bacteria, which could be fatal and harmless.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read this, I thought of the comic that I linked below. To think that germs "wait" to infect a food item, or would not substantially infect an item after 0.5 seconds but would by 3 seconds is ridiculous. I have always been wary of germs, but I would not consider this to be to the extent of calling myself a "germophobe." That said, there may be rare exceptions in the case of particularly valuable/delicious items, or items that I feel I can sufficiently rinse off.
ReplyDeletehttp://i.imgur.com/Y2p7D.png
I grew up on the three to five second rule. Today, I still follow the through. However, I am more cautious with it. Not all foods do I follow the rule for, like pasta or meat. I also agree with Corey that it depends on what floor my food drops on. I only follow the rule if it's my house or a floor I know is relatively clean. Public places and restaurants are places I would never follow the three second rule.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I used to follow the 5-second rule. Now, I hardly use it at all. The only foods I used to pick back up were the pre-packaged, high in fats food. I feel that there are already many preservatives and other unhealthy ingredients in the food that adding bacteria to it won’t make it any worse. I wouldn’t let the foods stay on the floor for long though. It’s more of a reflex to pick something up as fast as possible when you drop it.
ReplyDeleteI grew up following the five second rule religiously, why waste the food? It all depends on the food and the landing spot of the food. You should probably blow the dirt off or clean it on your pants too, but that's up to you. I think five seconds is a good time limit that was probably settled upon after a lot of deliberation. I feel like after watching the video, I don't feel as bad eating a dropped skittle or cookie.
ReplyDeleteI obey the rule where if it looks dirty, brush it off. This applies to any food that isn't wet or sticky of course like gum or a pasta. This video just encourages me to do it more, especially with meat and candy. Even if the results were different, I still probably would not pay attention to the result and just continue what I do because I have yet to feel sick from doing it. However, I only follow the rule when the floor is relatively clean.
ReplyDeleteI have known about the five (three) second rule for as long as I can remember. There are some foods that I will pick up if the ground appears to be relatively clean, but for the most part I will throw it away. This report will help me decide what to eat and what to throw away though. The findings did seem pretty straight forward though. In general if something has little to no moisture it is OK to eat.
ReplyDeleteI would imagine that the three or five second rule is commonly known for just about everybody. I have honestly known about the amount of bacteria that food can gather on the floor in such a short time but, as many others have already said, I care very little about floor germs on my food. This point might have an impact on some people but I am not one of them. As a matter of fact, I have occasionally eaten food that has been on the floor for well over ten seconds.
ReplyDeleteI personally use to use the rule when i was younger just because i didnt know what i was doing. But as i grew up i had stop picking things up off the ground even if it was a clean floor. I just believe it is very nasty for someone as an adult to pick food up just for the fact that you can get sick.
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