The Five Second Rule For Food Is Untrue

Original photo: Greg Williams

A confession: If I drop non-sticky food on the floor at home, I pick it up and eat it, despite the presence of bacteria. My home is reasonably clean. I clean it. When I return from the streets of Manhattan, I remove my shoes and walk around my apartment in socks or house shoes. So I'm not that concerned about germs. I even feel like exposure to some germs builds up a body's immunities to keep us healthy.

I never eat food that has dropped on the bathroom floor, since I never take food into the bathroom. Sticky foods are another matter also. They pick up debris, that I'm not willing to pick off, so into the trash they go.

Still I'm sorry that the 5 second rule for food has been debunked by science. I really like that rule! It seems so sensible (waste not, want not :) and non-phobic. However in reality, I have never eaten food that has fallen on the sidewalk. I mean, who does that short of a young child? 

The study leads one to wonder if a large percentage of people are eating food that drops in a public place. Are they? If not, why was the study commissioned? And now definitively, they must stop! If it didn't make them sick before, surely it will now!

Yet truthfully, I will continue to eat the food I drop on the floor at home. Just last night, I dropped a strawberry on the kitchen floor, which I quickly picked up and ate. I have done the same with popcorn. What can I say? Old habits die hard. According to the study though, "Bateria can contaminate instantaeously," especially if you drop wet food like watermelon on a stainless steel floor. I will be vigilant and not take chances if I have lots of foot traffic, but I usually don't.

Do you eat food dropped on your floors too? If so,where do you draw the line? And now, will you stop?

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