How many times have you dropped a snack, an ingredient or a meal, then picked it up as fast as you could, declaring the “five-second rule” made it okay to eat? If it barely touches the ground, it’s safe, right? Not so much, according to experts. It seems it’s not safe to eat food that falls on the ground, no matter how long it’s there.
“Unfortunately, the five-second rule is a myth,” confirms board-certified internal medicine physician and gastroenterology fellow Dr. Wendi Lebrett. “There is no recommended safe time for food to be consumed when it has dropped on the floor.” Believing this urban legend can potentially lead to severe stomach pain, or worse.
You wouldn’t touch your finger to the ground for five seconds and then lick it, and the same logic applies to food. Dr. Kenneth Brown explains, “Bacteria can transfer to food almost immediately upon contact.” While some foods and some surfaces may take longer to be affected, research shows salmonella can contaminate some foods, like bread and bologna, really fast, within those five seconds, so do you really want to take a chance? Instead of the five-second rule, Dr. Brown advises, “Avoid eating anything that has fallen on the floor, regardless of how quickly it is picked up.”
Source: Food and Wine