3 Second Rule Food On The Floor

Experts explore whether it s safe to eat food that s made quick contact with the floor.

3 second rule food on the floor. But another study champions the zero second rule of bacterial contact. The first rule of human food consumtion. It goes something like this. Any food picked up from the floor is perfectly fine to eat within five seconds of dropping it.

As a food microbiologist i have always been amazed at people s belief in the three or five second rule. We all know that rule right. Many of us might have picked up a piece of dropped food from the floor given it a quick blow and assumed it was still safe to eat. To many of us it is second nature to apply the age old pseudo scientific three second rule on such occasions telling ourselves we re safe if the food hit the floor only momentarily.

Bread with jam cooked pasta ham a plain biscuit and dried fruit were all dropped on the floor and left for either three five or 10 seconds then examined under the microscope. If you drop the twinkie on the floor of your apartment and pick it up with 3 seconds it s still good. If you try to put it in your mouth at any point past 3 01 seconds you re a dirty bastard and will probably die from gangrene of the mouth. This rule is not applicable in a gas station restroom that s just wrong.

If you retrieve food dropped on the floor or another. It is second nature to apply the age old pseudo scientific three second rule on such occasions telling ourselves we re safe if the food hit the floor only momentarily. The five second rule was therefore in my favour obviously. A new study says it s safe to eat food that s been on the floor for less than five seconds.

Five food items were tested by manchester metropolitan university mmu to see whether the x second rule could be trusted.