Is the five second rule a real thing?

About this episode

How do you react when a piece of food you’re eating falls to the floor? Some people would throw it away in disgust, while others would still eat it, perhaps after rinsing it under water or blowing on it. Of course, there’s those that abide by the five second rule. That’s the popular belief that suggests any food is still fit for consumption as long as it hasn’t been on the floor for longer than five seconds. So does the time a piece of food spends on the ground affect how likely it is to be contaminated by germs and other bacteria? Back in 2016, researchers from Rutgers University in the United States looked into the matter from a scientific approach, and published their findings in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal. How did they test the five second rule? What impact did the surface and food type have? So does eating food that’s been on the floor make you sick then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions ! To listen to the latest episodes, click here: Why do we get addicted to social media? What are the dangers of using Botox? What is stealth wealth? A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. In partnership with upday UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices