This is probably not the first time that you have heard or read about the myth on food, that once you drop it on the floor, it is still okay to eat it as long as you pick it up within the next five seconds. The question is, is this five-second rule for real? Thanks to Paul Dawson, a professor at Clemson University who teaches Food Science, there is now a definite and accurate answer to this.
He has written his studies on The New Republic and a lot of people are now being awakened by it.
Houston Chronicle also got on board about the subject and broke down Dawson's finding about this so-called food myth. This whole issue may have something to do with the story of Julia Child and her cooking show called, The French Chef.
Viewers of her show said that they witnessed her drop a meat on the floor and picked it up. She even said that if they happen to be alone in the kitchen, their visitors would never guess what just happened to that piece of meat.
The truth is, it was actually a potato pancake and it just fell right on the stovetop and not on the floor. She placed it back on the pan giving the same advice.
The website BoingBoing also summarized the findings of Dawson regarding the matter saying, it would depend on the amount of bacteria present on that surface or the ground where it fell,as this will determine whether or not the food will still be edible.
It is fascinating how he and his team tried this experiment on carpets, wooden and tiled floors to see the results. Apparently, if food falls on a carpet, less than 1% of the bacteria can be transferred.However, if it falls on wood or tile, up to 48% to 70% percent of the bacteria could be transferred.
Now you know what happens to your food when it hits the floor no matter how long it would take for you to pick it up. It is up to you to take the chance.
