Scientists Just Tested the ‘5-Second Rule’

Scientists Just Tested the ‘5-Second Rule’:

You know that 5-Second Rule you applied as a kid and later as a parent? It’s total poppycock.

A recent study published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology shows that no food that falls to the floor remains bacteria-free, even if scooped up right away. As a NY Mag article on the study explains, “…it took less than a second for some bacteria to transfer [to dropped food]…”

It does hold true that food picked up from the floor within 5 seconds has less bacteria than food left longer, but that’s little comfort for germaphobes.

No word on whether the 5-Second Rule applies to food dropped on pets, which interests me because I once ate a piece of bacon I accidentally dropped on my dog.