The most common myth ever used, “the 5 (4 or 3) second rule”. Have you ever dropped food on the floor and shouted “five second rule”, picked it up, blow on it and stuck it in your mouth? By Jill Taylor
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When questioned about this the general assumption is that 5 (4 or 3) seconds is not a long enough time for the piece of food to pick up bacteria, especially the kind that will make you ill.
The exact origin of this urban myth is unknown, the fast food industry has supposedly been accredited, in some countries, as having started the rule to minimise food waste. Whatever the origins the “5 second rule” has become a common, readily accepted practice by all ages groups, certainly in a domestic situation. Hopefully, this is not the case in a work environment.
Several investigations have been carried out to put this myth to the test results from extensive research have found in favour of the fact that it is just that – a MYTH!
A college student studying in a University of Illinois laboratory decided to test the truth of the 5-second rule. The student surveyed 100 other students (50 male, 50 female) to see what they knew about the rule. Of those surveyed, 70% of the women and 56% of the men were familiar with and had used the 5-second rule. Biscuits and sweets were much more likely to be picked up and eaten than items such as cauliflower or broccoli. Swab samples were then taken from floors around the campus to determine bacterial counts, which showed that the floors were surprisingly clean.
Next, rough and smooth floor tiles were contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Gummy Bear sweets and fudge cookies were placed on the contaminated floor tiles for 5 seconds, then examined under a high-powered microscope. The results showed that in all cases E. coli was transferred from the tile to the food, demonstrating that harmful bacteria CAN be transferred from a tile to food in 5 seconds or less.
If you prefer to see practical proof of the busting of this urban food myth, have a look at this short clip from the Discovery Channel’s Myth Busters programme.
These findings show there are no guarantees that any type of dropped food is safe for any amount of time, especially as in the clip the time was as short as 2 seconds with no difference in the amount of bacteria found for this or a longer time period! Because all bacteria are microscopic, there is no way to know what is growing on your floors, or your work surfaces for that matter. While it is likely that a bathroom floor may be more risky than a kitchen floor, (but not guaranteed – see the clip!) you need to assume that harmful bacteria may be present on any surface.It is time to re-think this age-old practice and stop rationalizing the use of the 5-second rule. As tempting as it may be, the next time some tasty treat falls to the floor…..bin it!
Article by Jill Taylor of Jill Taylor Consulting
