"In households, restaurant kitchens, and almost anywhere people prepare or consume food, you'll occasionally hear someone call out "five-second rule." Whether it's uttered as a way for the speaker to let others know he's civilized, as an excuse to salvage expensive food, or as an incantation to ward off sickness, the meaning is the same: If food hits the floor and you snatch it up in less than five seconds, it's safe to eat."
Is the food really safe? Or should we throw it away or wash it off?
Yes, someone really has conducted a scientific study of the five-second rule. It was the project of high school senior Jillian Clarke during a six-week internship at the University of Illinois, has since earned her doctoral degree and is a scientist in new product development for Rich Foods in Buffalo, N.Y. All bets are off when it comes to carpet, damp floors, gum, or ice cream, as these were not included in the study." For her work, Clarke was awarded an Ig Nobel prize in 2004 at Harvard University.
BUT!!
Experts explore whether it's safe to eat food that's made quick contact with the floor ??
YOU !!..Should never eat food that's has fallen on the floor. Bacteria's are all over the place, and 10 types, including E. coli, cause foodborne illnesses, such as fever,
diarrhea, and
flu-like symptoms." Foodborne illnesses can have varying onset, ranging from 24 hours to a week. So, if the food you picked up and ate last Wednesday was responsible for sidelining you over the weekend, you probably wouldn't even associate the two events.
Restaurants and the 5-Second Rule:
Restaurant operators are concerned about the bottom line. So they might be reluctant to throw away food, even though they know the risk." Violators are unlikely to get caught. "When a health inspector is in a restaurant, everyone is on their best behavior." If the food is dry, and there's no stickiness to it, it's less likely that bacteria will stick to it but in most cases we're talking about a $20 steak or a piece of fish that's not dry, if it's dry food, then we're just talking about filth, like hair or whatever is on the soles of shoes. That includes counters that have been washed and sanitized. If the precaution sounds extreme, consider the potential for damp floors and what might be on the shoes of a worker who walked her dog or used the restroom before coming to work. Then someone lifts a carton of produce from the floor and sets it on the counter. Maybe you don't want to eat food that has fallen on that counter, least I would think twice about it.
A Smorgasbord of Opinions :
Until further studies are done, there's no consensus on how safe it is to eat dropped food. Foodborne illnesses are not serious for most of the 76 million Americans who contract them every year. But, according to the web site of the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases, it's estimated that of those cases, 300,000 people are hospitalized, and 5,000 die. Most deaths occur among susceptible populations that include small children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. Microorganisms present, they will transfer in less than five seconds is it worth your health to eat what you picked up?? "
