Turns out that mainstay from childhood, the "five-second rule", is backed by scientific theory. You can (usually) eat food off the floor without ingesting life-altering cooties. In a survey of ...

Food that has been dropped on the floor is usually safe to eat under the so-called “five-second rule”, a scientist has said. Germ expert Professor Anthony Hilton, from Aston University, said ...

Although the five-second rule is a myth, it doesn't necessarily mean that food is unsafe after it's fallen on the floor. The health risk of eating the food depends on many factors, according to ...

Chicago microbiologist Nicholas Aicher tested how the so-called “five-second rule” compared to longer and shorter-timed drops.

Food that has been dropped on the floor is usually safe to eat under the so-called "five-second rule", according to a scientist from Aston University in Birmingham. Germ expert Professor Anthony ...

Go Ahead, Eat It. Scientist Affirms 5-Second Rule A germ expert tells the British Press Association that if you drop food and pick it up quickly, bacteria on the floor are not likely to have attached.

The 5-second rule is a significant oversimplification of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food. Applied and Environmental Microbiology , 2016. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01838 ...

As soon as something hits the ground, it begins soaking up bacteria. There is no magic get-off-the-ground-germ-free period.