Ask Mike: Five second rule
Hey Guys,
Food has a habit of falling on the floor (stupid gravity). The question then becomes: To eat or not to eat? Is there any truth to the adage that food that’s been on the floor for five seconds or less is safe to scarf?
According to legend, the idea originated with none other than Genghis Khan. According to The Citizen, historians have traced the maxim to the great military leader. Back then, it was known as the Khan Rule and it was a bit more liberal.
During post-victory banquets, Khan supposedly would declare that if food fell on the floor, it could stay there for 12 hours. Any longer than that, and you risked death.
Of course, that’s just a legend. Whether Khan actually had such a rule is anybody’s guess. What we do know is that the five-second rule (let alone the 12 hour rule) doesn’t make much sense. Snopes.com explains that researchers have done experiments and found that the amount of time a piece of food is on the floor really makes no difference. If the floor is dirty, so is the food.
“Bacteria and viruses grab on by contact, and even brief encounters of the split-second variety can be more than enough for them to claim a new home address. They harbor no respect for a time barrier of a specific number of seconds.”
Of course, a little bit of bacteria isn’t gonna hurt (well, probably not), but if the floor isn’t very clean, you’re probably better off tossing the food and starting again.
Thanks for reading,
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This video answers it all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYXdsOEWBj0
interesting
Uh, I would say just eat it, a little dirt won’t kill ya. :3
In my opinion, Yes I think it’s safe to eat some foods after accidentally dropping them on the floor in your own home (ect. Bread, nuts, lollies / chocolates) because most people clean their floors regularly.
When out in public however, I wouldn’t touch any food that falls on the floor at all.
In both cases, either at home or out, any foods with sauces, dips, vegetables, meats & fish, greens and anything that’s a water based food I won’t eat because they are most likely the foods that may soak up gems & bacteriay more quickly. Things stick to them.
I don’t believe in the 5 second rule! As soon as food drops on the floor, i doubt germs wait to attack it.
This makes it more convincing!
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/5%20second%20rule?before=63
I only eat food off the floor at my house because I know whats been on the floor, anyplace else could have anything on it
Just leave it on the floor for the dog to eat. End of problem!
To be honest, it isnt like food sits there and wait for five seconds to latch onto food. If food drops on the floor, it is now dirty. Its up to you to decide whether the floor is clean enough for you to actually pick that food back up and eat it as you desire. If the food item is good enough for you to risk the bacteria, then eat it as you wish.
Correct. People seem to completely underestimate the way microbial life functions. Not that its their fault really.
People as a whole simply have no idea what these things do or how they work or what it all means. One good example: In my doctors office is a big poster explaining why you shouldnt use antibiotics for a viral infection.
Because people ask for it. Considering how much death and pain disease has caused, its astonishing how little most people know.
Oh, I’m a microbiology student. (Bacteriophage viruses specifically. Because they’re viruses that attack bacteria. Thats awesome.)
i dont think spaghetti falls under the five second rule
Mythbusters already tested this out. You’re safer eating something that has fallen on a dirty floor than you are brushing your teeth. More bacteria on your toothbrush from sitting in the bathroom (thanks to people who don’t lower lid before they flush) than you get from the average floor anywhere.
Well it’s proven that it is not true. Here is a link to a very educational and fun YouTube video, here’s the link;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYXdsOEWBj0
Sorry, I did not read the comments before telling you. Same link, but very cool video still!
if food drops in dog pee best to leave it
For what it’s worth, Mythbusters tested this myth and determined that even the shortest contact with a contaminated surface made the dropped food contaminated.
There is a picture I saw on Facebook where one germ says to all the others “we must wait 5 seconds”
Germs are everywhere… even on fingers no matter how many times you wash your hands. Guess it really all depends on just how strong your immune system is.
If the V sauce link hadn’t been added I would have posted it
Atomic bombs have habits of falling onto the floor too, Mike. Stupid gravity!
It is actually a femtosecond (a very small portion of a second)
It is considered contaminated. Replace it with more food if the plate did not fall. If everything falls, clean the plate, then put more food on the plate.
Didn’t VSauce make a YouTube video on it?
Mythbusters actually did a test on this very subject.
With four dogs around, I’m lucky if it reaches the floor. Actually, there are times I’m lucky if it reaches my mouth; there have been several instances of having to chase a dog with my fork in it’s teeth around.
i personally wouldnt eat any thing that had been on the floor
Cool post. I do a certain amount of cooking and there will be things that drop on occasion. I always pick it up and wash it off – 2 seconds or 5 seconds or whatever. Come to find out, bacteria clings to the food right away and if you leave it more than 5 seconds a good amount has probably come off. I think the habit of either washing it or throwing it away is best.
If the Food which fell on the floor ie- Lettuce or something which can be washed under a running tap, I usually do this rather than throw away.
A few years ago I watched an experiment performed on Good Morning America by two students which concluded that a piece of *dry* food left on a dirty McDonalds floor took about 30 seconds for a significant amount of bacteria to accumulate upon it. *Wet* food took about 10-15.
Yeah my boyfriend told me one time his entire pizza fell on the floor so he didn’t even eat that night. Don’t eat food off the floor! Yuck!
If it falls on the floor the dog had better be faster than me or he doesn’t eat until his next meal.
Well, I remember the “5 second rule” that my friends and I used to follow in 4th and 5th grade (now I am in 8th). Now, even when food falls on the floor, I immediately throw it away. I don’t really believe in the 5 second rule or the 12 hour rule. To me, as son as the food is one floor, it is covered with all sorts of bacteria, viruses, etc.
mythbusters tested it in an episode BUSTED
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/5-second-rule-with-food.htm
Actually, it’s the quadrillionth of a second rule. True.
when we were kids,dad told us, if it fell on the floor throw it away,dont blow your nose you will blow your brains out,don’t point at the cemetary unless u bite your ten fingers, [lol]so as adults the rules stands.
you do not eat food off the floor
gross!
Actually, I think the main criteria for many people is:
If others are present, the food is contaminated.
If no one else is present, the food is probably still safe.
5 second rule!
If it’s not messy, and I can get to it before the dog does, I eat it. If it’s messy, the dog gets it.
At least, wash it first! Bacteria are all over the place, and 10 types, including E. coli, cause foodborne illnesses, such as fever, diarrhea, and flu-like symptoms. The five second rule is simply a sociological superstition; common sense should not affect this portion of ones brain/thinking process. Regardless of how clean a floor may appear, high traffic spots or perhaps carpeted flooring, will still breed bacteria.
If it falls on dried elephant urine, and preferably smeared on the urine, then yes, it will taste great, and will be nourishing food to every member of your family. Although, if it is a baby, you would have to take the food, put it in a blender, add in some more urine, then make into the most scrumptious meal your family has ever had.
Years ago I worked in a number of Restaurant Kitchens , and saw food which had fallen on the floor being picked up and plated to go to the customer .
Depends on where it falls.
read this it said all about 5 second rule
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYXdsOEWBj0
Germs, including bacteria and viruses, need moisture to thrive. If it’s a chip or a piece of bread that drops on your fairly dry, clean kitchen floor and the dog doesn’t subsequently run up and pee on it, then you could probably eat it after a fews hours on the floor without getting sick. However, if you dropped a piece of food, outside say during a barbeque, even 5 seconds might be too much considering the dog pees outside more (hopefully) and probably in that exact spot you dropped your nice steak too!
well if its some thing sticky you wouldn’t eat it cuz hairs germs will get on it and you could even get a majour infection, non sticky its 50 50 you can wash it but not all bacteria will come off. Its safe not to eat it no matter wat
In my apartment, by the end of five seconds, the rats will have got it.
silly Q, stupid question.,
there is no “5 second rule”. your bonkers.
don’t work at McDonald’s.
Well it depends on how dirty your floor is at the moment
Stop being a ***** and eat it. Extra seasoning for free.
I have intensive experience in the Food Industry. The 5 second rule is the new 30 second rule. It all depends on the item drop, and what was dropped. The rule of thumb is ” when in doubt—- throw out. The only caveat to that rule is : If it’s over approximately 6-7 dollars a pound- you always go for it if its at your place—– other places- use discretion folding it in a paper napkin to take home and wash or clean.
Just to add, when I worked at upper scale, we all ate off the trays of recovered plates and tray. Best food I ever ate. Even our dog would get Filet mignon and lobster. The dog ate the whole fish and a small bite of the filet. Then walked about 6 feet and passed out cold, he couldn’t or want to fetch the next day. Good for Buttons”the dog” good for me
Bacteria touches the food almost immediately and the chances are its also got faeces on it too.
if its inside my house and not something really messy like cheescake or jelly and you dont drop it in like poo or bleach or something then its never done me any harm – otherwise no
I myself, would not eat or feed to others…
something that made it’s way to the floor!
But, I will let my dog eat it.
My dog has a working appendix.
Ours has long past been rendered useless
as we cook most of our food, and no longer needs it’s function.
But, my dog eats raw meat with no problem!
d;o)
rich or poor its dirty when it hits the floor
Do not eat what has been Troden on to the floor contact means contamination
There is no time that is safe. Germs can make the jump faster than you can bend down and pick it up. Are all those germs safe??? Your call!!!
That’s what I’ve always said. It all depends on the condition of the floor and how soggy the food is. But I still follow it because of society because people frown upon people eating food off the floor or a table surface.
Depending on the surface in question and the type of food, it is either instantly contaminated, or safe for hours. I would eat an Oreo off a clean tile floor. I wouldn’t even pick up to throw away anything dropped in a public rest room.
It depends on whether dirt from the floor sticks to the food. If it is a dry food with limited surface of contact with a dry floor then there is minimal material transfer and therefore minimal bacterial load transfer. If it is a wet or sticky food and a wet or sticky floor then there is immediate adhesion of the material on the floor to the food and therefore higher bacterial load transfer. This process occurs within a fraction of a second. Of course if dry food is left on the floor, dust and and airborne particles can accumulate on the food over a longer period of time.
Are you kiddin me?!
Sheesh! Some germy person could BREATHE on your food and it’d be dumpster filler.
I believe that there is no food to waste if you don’t have too. There are to many hungry people in this world and to waste food is a sign of greed. As far the five second rule, well it depends where it falls. If it’s in a clean area (that were most people eat) then pick it up dust it off and enjoy. However, if your at somewhere like a picnic and it falls on the ground with dirt and other foreign debris then you have no choice, you are suppose to go to the point of making yourself sick.
I’ve gotten more lax about floor food. If it’s in my house and I see that it landed on a pretty clean area I’ll usually grab it, blow it and down it. Some things I’ll let lie for the cat but if it’s my last bite of something it’s almost a sin to let it lie.
why is it that when I drop a piece of buttered toast, it lands buttered side down?
People are way too germaphobic any more. I just don’t get it. Maybe its because we never have an adequate health education. The likelihood that the food is going to make you sick even if it is sitting on the floor for 20 minutes is very low.
You need to pick it up in 1 Femosecond which is fast.
If you have written this to query whether or not to eat some food you have dropped, it has probably been too long,
Gravity, bloody sucks.
I’m not going to let it win. If my burger falls on the floor for more than 5 seconds, im not going to care
IM GONNA EAT THE SHIT OUT OF IT.
TAKE THAT GRAVITY!!!
I’m more concerned about animal hair, bits of grit, whatever, sticking to dropped food. Since I keep the kitchen floor fairly “clean” of visible “objects”, and, germs are everywhere anyhow, I usually just rinse off whatever hit the ground (unless it’s that buttered bread, face down) & keep going.
To anyone invited over for a meal, don’t worry; I won’t drop your food — or, if that does happen (hasn’t so far!), I’ll trash it.
Where should you toss it then? Back on the floor?
Mind you, I’m on a tight budget so when I drop food it tends to get retrieved and eaten regardless. Even if it fell butter side down.
The only time I’ve had a tummy upset is when a dose of Norovirus came to my work place years ago.
I don’t know if that’s testimony to cleaning the kitchen floor at least once a day properly, or the belief that growing up eating the occasional peck of dirt may give your immune system a head start.
My father used to say “you eat a peck of dirt before you die”. It never used to worry me until I discovered that a peck was a whole bucketful.
Food that falls on *my* floor would last five seconds.
WILL EAT ANYTHING OFF THE FLOOR. FOOD TOO DAMN PRECIOUS.
It depends on the floor if its safe to eat or not.. If the floor wuz coverd with toxic acid then don’t eat it, lol duh! :p. anyway, if u just cleaned ur floors, then it’s fine.
If it is wet or squishy, I wouldn’t try it. However, if you drop an Oreo you better eat that cookie!
Sometimes it depends on the situation, in areas where food is extinct, in times of famine and war, in nations where Apple or Cake is rare, if this foods fall down, people will still eat it, regardless of how many seconds it falls down.
There is no 5 second rule.Values and standards apply.Either its clean or not.Duh.Can’t you think of anything better to ask??????????
No way, germs would get all over it and could spread to your mouth
It depends on how hungry you are, how much other food there is, and how picky you are. If you don’t have anything else to eat you’ll eat out of a trash can, many people do all over the world every day. Even in your own city. If you can afford to eat something that hasn’t been on the floor, and there’s something there, then go for that.
“A little bit of bacteria won’t hurt anyone.”
That might be true with SOME bacteria, but how do you know which kind you’re going to get if you drop food on the floor? You might get nothing serious or something that has the potential to kill you if not be hard to treat and put you in the hospital for a while.
I would alter the 5-second rule to 1 to 2 seconds and even then, never recommend it to people who are immunocompromised (have a serious disease already, like asthma or diabetes) or immunosuppressed (have a disease that requires immuno-suppressing medication, like cancer, or have had a transplant and are on immunosuppresant medication in order to stop their body from rejecting the transplanted organ.)
It would be ok if you dropped it. Food already Has Germs so That Means If you drop it you would waste your food even though you thing it is gross you should pick it up right away and just eat it or if your wasting just throw it away and never see it again
It also depends on how wet the food is. It’ll pick up more bacteria if it is wet vs dry, but eat at your own risk either way. No one I know has ever gotten sick from it.
Actually Mike… it depends on the surface of what is dropped, and what it was dropped ON. Someone above alluded to Mythbusters, and they did do a segment on this, and what appears to be the case is food that has a flat smooth surface, that is dropped on the same type of surfaced flooring, will catch the most germs.
Truth be told… you get more germs sitting at an office desk, as yes, grossly enough, licking a toilet seat…..
God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt!!
Time is pointless, the surface is much more important. Let’s say your a guy who like myself doesn’t touch himself when he urinates (It’s an art) and your in a porta-potty eating a corn dog and you drop it in the toilet hole, would you eat it if it was recovered in half a second. This is an exaggeration, but proves a point.
;-*
John
Brown University Physics B.S.
HMS (still in school)
If I just swept and mopped and a piece of food fell I would pick it up fast. But if the floor hasn’t been swept or mopped then I wouldn’t even give it a chance. With cats and their dirty little litter box paws its hard to give that five second rule a chance.
If your drop it yourself, it’s fine. However, if a waiter drops it and then serves it to you, you should rally to have them fired!
well it’s contaminated the second it contacts the floor, BUT, your stomach is filled with this nasty stuff called ACID. depending on where i drop food on the floor, i’ll eat it anyways, if it has a little something, rinse that off. i haven’t been sick yet and i’m 52.
My Grandmother & my Mother always said a little bit of dirt never hurt no one – indoors, if something falls on the floor I’ll eat it, outdoors, I leave it for the seagulls.
YH I TRY TO STICK TO THE 2.5 SECOND RULE
Would you eat something that fell into feces? It would be immediate contact instead of the five-second rule. So for me, that concept of five seconds is ridiculous.
At home…. it’s more like the 20-30 second rule
At School – cafeteria – no way, hallway maybe
At Camp – it’s the “it’s food, eat it” rule
Outside – depends on the food…
i really doesnt matter the food we eat is already poison to many gmo in foods i say let the food on the floor be a ground score for the dogs
I think this is common sense and when you know it’s dirty it most probably is.
My mind has been blow!!!!!!
Well think of it this wait a CARROT: a carrot grows in the gound then it gets piked by someone you never know then it sits in the back of a truck for a few ours then it gets rinsed of the eviribody in the store tuches it then you take it home wash it and all of a suden you drop it and its ruinde? That just dosnt make sense
Unless thee is some bleach or other toxic cleanser on the floor, eat it. It will not hurt you. We are all germphobic, when in reality, germs help build our immune system. We just have to differentiate between poisons, toxins and everyday germs.
If your food falls in salmonella…. It has salmonella
If floor is “clean” and the food will wash…go for it. Otherwise blow the dirt off hard,dry food and scarf it down!
hi, I accuraly know this answer, and it is that if your food drops on the floor for five seconds doesn’t make a different if it was there for hours!!!! it will have the same amount of germs…. but if its chocolate I would eat it
Myth Busters busted this myth. If you keep the food there for 1 second or 15-20 seconds there is about the same amount of germs there. Unless you let it sit there for 5-10 minutes that’s a different story. So the “5 second rule” is all an excuse for people who are not afraid to eat something off the floor.
So as far as health and germs in concerned, makes no difference if you pick it up in 1 second or 20 seconds. Good Luck with your floor twinkie !
personally if it doesn’t look too dirty and the floor around it doesn’t look dirty then I’d go for it. A little foreign bacteria can be really good for the immune system. practice fighting germs etc.
EAT IT!!
Here is a link to a study recently done.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2138777/The-second-rule-fact-fiction-Scientists-reveal-food-dropped-floor-safe-eat.html
The 12 hour rule would make more sense, that is about how long cooked meat and dairy would last before spoiling. The five second rule is a hoax as any dog owner would know. If it hits the floor, it is as dirty as the floor.
Coming from my own opinion, it depends what it is. If its something sticky, for example: Gum, I don’t pick it up and eat it. But it’s something like a non-sticky object, it would be okay to pick it up, brush it off and eat it. For example: a Nature Valley Bar.
God made dirt, dirt don’t hurt
Watch Vsauce’s video about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYXdsOEWBj0
Who cares if it is edible? It’s not clean!
And if you say it’s edible…
well…
not really…
Okay so yeah that’s my opinion…as you can see I talk a lot : )
Okay, last post : )
Two rules:
1. Would you give a poor person dirty food, or eat it yourself and give the poor person a new, clean meal?
2. Would you sacrifice your Combos for a poor person in need?
That’s the real question, think about that.
I won’t even eat food if it falls on my clean table.
How long does it take to transfer a virus?
A sneeze, many viruses transferred.
Genital herpes transmission from most any wet moist body surface?
salmonella ?
There is transfers from many places.
I hear people say should someone eat food dropped on the floor.
I see people pick up cigarettes and light them in bathrooms that fall on wet floors in front of toilet fixtures of both types.ugg!
Turtle feces on your kids floor.
70% of all people don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom, now see them pick up a cigarette from the wet floor in front of the lavatory from soiled floors from wet soles on shoes.
Would you allow this and then wonder why you got a a strept throat or worse, passing it to your family.
Well it obviously depends on what has been on the floor. If it was cleaned a few minutes ago it should be safe. Of course SOME bacteria and germs will get on it but its better then dropping it on a floor where pets run around.
This was on Mythbusters, they found it to be false.
http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/five-second-rule-minimyth.htm
I would say it depends on where it falls. If its on my kitchen floor it can sit there for 10 minutes and I’ll eat it as long as my cats haven’t touched it first. Anything out doors or on a visibly dirty surface I think it should go to the trash. But it also depends on the food. Softer foods I think absorb more “junk”.
I ain’t sick nor dead yet so it must be ok.
I sometimes use the 10 or 20 second rule It won’t kill ya!
You have perhaps heard the phrase, “the floors were so clean you could eat off them.” Yes of course the surface matters. Some people have different shoes for inside and outside. All of us could stand a bit of enlightenment on what grows on a petri dish under what conditions, and what the answer means. (Growth and toxicity are two entirely different matters). I was not there to meet any of the ancient Khan’s so I have no idea what their rules were. Time matters for food poisoning, but not for infections.
Last night I was doing some boiled potatoes and as I was getting them out of the pan one fell down the side of the oven.
Considering the amount of grime and stuff that gets between the oven I don’t care how many seconds it’s been there I wasn’t eating it.
We have pets and all the fur builds up down there, so when I got it out it was a mess of grease and fur.
As for the 12 hour rule I certainly wouldn’t go for that.
Sometimes on scout camps people have put food back in that’s fell on a tent floor though – it’s strange that ‘cos a tent floor is way more dirty than a kitchen floor.
Interesting point though – if you’ve just cleaned the floor, and it’s really clean, what is the difference between the clean floor, and a clean dinner plate, until someone walks on the floor. Surely on a clean floor there should be just as much bacteria as there is when you put the item onto a plate, you actually clean the floor with a much harder chemical than washing up liquid!
In my opinion, it really depends on how long the food has been around on the floor, and what the food consists of, and what the floor is like. Germs need food, too, just like we humans do, that’s why we invented some methods of preservation, like drying or salting food.
Smoked ham, for instance, takes literally years to rot, even if you drop a piece of it on the floor, due to all the salty ingredients and the lack of water in the meat, you can eat it with good conscience. That means, if your cat isn’t faster.
Bread, also, if stored in a dry environment, holds for a year or two, but it gets brick-hard and cannot be chewed if you don’t have very good teeth, or you soak it in a cup of tea (or beer, for that reason). Try Pumpernickel and you know what I mean.
In today’s world, I’d rather fear of contaminating myself with some sort of disinfectant residue when my bread-and-butter slice lands on the floor than catching some contageous disease. I’ll pick it up and go on eating.
What worries me more:
Whenever you dressed up in a new, nice jeans, people start inviting you to “Spaghetti Bolognese”, and there seems to be a strange attractor to new trousers for tomato sauce.
Is that quantum physics?
Well it depends what type of food I suppose..but if it could be saved,,I got a mantra that I recite “God Before the Devil 123, then I blow on the food and then eat it..simple
Well the five second rule is considered because bacteria can populate a piece of food in meer seconds disgusting but cool right? The five second was based around some scientist who wanted to see how fast germs could infest a piece of food and it took five seconds that’s where the process of the ‘five second’ rule came from. It also depends on what type of surfaces it lands on if it bounces of 2 different surfaces or more then you can’t eat it it would already be infested by the time you pick it up. This just an extended answer that I researched upon hoped it helped
Five second rule? Please. I have a four year old in my house. It’s a five DAY rule.
I think I saw it on mythbusters. 5 sec rule is bogus. it still get bacteria on it. myself I dont care.I beleive it helps your emune sustem
I don’t know why people have become so germ-conscious in this scientific era!
I mean if food fell on floor, then what? There were germs in the first place too i.e. the air .
Think of a child starving in Africa or the other being malnutrition-ed in Somalia, and you won’t throw it away. The other day, I was watching a documentary on National Geographics which showed a man who used to eat stray animals lying dead on roads, and he justified that he couldn’t see all that protein going waste. Okay! that’s weird and I don’t motivate you to do the same. But still this idea of throwing the food fallen on a not-much-filthy floor is rubbish. My grandma says it’s an act of ungratefulness towards God!
In other words scientists have too much time on their hands
i eat something after 48 hours, so i don`t believe that stupid rule
Mythbuster’s did a special on this subject…
the food didnt have enough time to collect any major amounts of bacteria as long as the surface was clean.
Immaterial. If I see you eat food off of the floor and you are not homeless, destitute or an animal, we are going to have some serious problems. I will buy you another bit of whatever you dropped if you are that hungry. It is a case of social conduct rather than anything technically permissible.
”Food safety wise” no, but i worked as head chef and have ate within the 5 sec rule, it is more of a inside joke in the kitchen.
Whenever foods that I like fall, I always literally leap after them and eat them. People always laugh at me because of it.. I’m not sick though, so, I’d say EAT IT ;D
yes that is true and I go by the 5 second rule who cares you can just wash it off
I say eat it!
by the time its 5 secoonds theres like a trillion bacteria on it
Well I Belive That .. The 5 Second Rule Is An Intresteting Rule But … It Is True The Food Will Get The Bacteria Very Fast & It Doesn’t matter If You Think It Is a rule .. You Will Get Bacteria C: