Thread: Five Second Rule Has Validity! Tolja!

Five-second food rule has some merit, new study says - latimes.com

LOL, enjoy.

Originally Posted by Schneibster

Five-second food rule has some merit, new study says - latimes.com

LOL, enjoy.

Er "Food picked up after a few seconds of falling on the floor is less likely to contain bacteria than if it's left there longer."
Wow!

I'm going to apply for a research grant to fund a study into my theory that "Food eaten within a day of purchase doesn't get as old as food left longer than that".

Hah. You ninja'd me. I saw it in The Age.

Here's the link to the press release from the university. Has a bit more detail than that news item.

Researchers prove the five-second rule is real

The results showed that:

• Time is a significant factor in the transfer of bacteria from a floor surface to a piece of food; and
• The type of flooring the food has been dropped on has an effect, with bacteria least likely to transfer from carpeted surfaces and most likely to transfer from laminate or tiled surfaces to moist foods making contact for more than 5 seconds.

Professor Hilton said: “Consuming food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk as it very much depends on which bacteria are present on the floor at the time; however the findings of this study will bring some light relief to those who have been employing the five-second rule for years, despite a general consensus that it is purely a myth.

So yah, sucks, boo, to all the killjoys. We were right all along.

Also, if you quickly tap your fingers against a hot surface they'll be less burned than if you leave them there for any length of time.

Where do I get my money?

Where do I get my money?

All those people who've been telling people like me that 5 seconds on the floor is just as bad as 5 days on the floor and therefore inedible for both people and animals ...

... can pay with public shaming, all those accumulated minutes or hours of humiliating other people with dirty, filthy 'might as well be homeless' remarks can be repaid with interest, maybe they can be put in stocks in city squares and pelted with genuinely mouldy food items ...

... so they might as well suffer financially as well.

(Or have you never shared an office kitchen with one of these "you can't eat that" people.)

Originally Posted by adelady

(Or have you never shared an office kitchen with one of these "you can't eat that" people.)

Well yeah, but they usually follow up with "because it's mine".

You would be safer eating food dropped on the floor within the five second rule than eating it off the staff lunch table at many work places, IMO. Shared surfaces are the greater vector for transmission of bacteria and viruses.

I have been known to salvage food dropped on my own floor, depending on the nature of the food and the condition of the floor. Best if it is a food that I can wash. I do not rescue food that hits the floor in public places because I do not have the same sense of what the risk factors may be.

Actually, the personal amusement factor left aside, mostly what it depends on for me is the consistency of the food. For example a hard piece of cheese, meat, vegetable, or bread is a likely target; a spoonful of pudding or something with sauce or dip on it is, IMO, garbage and I will not eat it. I actually don't expect many people vary a lot from my behavior, in fact.

I actually don't expect many people vary a lot from my behavior, in fact.

Exactly. All those people who recoil in horror if someone picks up a dropped dry biscuit just aren't thinking.

Why else is there a common complaint that toast falls buttered side down?

We all know what that means. We'll eat it one way but not the other. So a "buttered side down" piece of toast is wasted.

It's a lot easier for dirt and grime to stick to the buttered side of the toast, plus the butter goes on the floor or carpet.

I think the five second rule should really take into account the adhesive quality of the foodstuff being dropped.

Originally Posted by Daecon

It's a lot easier for dirt and grime to stick to the buttered side of the toast, plus the butter goes on the floor or carpet.

I think the five second rule should really take into account the adhesive quality of the foodstuff being dropped.

I believe I mentioned that also. Some foods can have a brush off or a wash-up after being dropped, always taking the surface dropped upon into consideration, while others are a loss by default. Since working at the food store and having an enhanced food budget by such means, I have become quite adverse to taking any risks with my food. It is far easier and cheaper to replace a bit of food than to risk a serious illness through contamination. Yes, I have gotten away with it countless times in the past when finances were very lean but today's pathogens are becoming more formidable and it is said that our immune system becomes less efficient over time.

What you can't see is very capable of killing you. Each person is entitled to take their own calculated risks.