Are Five Seconds Enough

Comic by http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Five_second.png

           You and your friend are watching a movie on your couch at home, and have made popcorn for a nice movie snack. As the opening credits are scrolling on your television screen, you’re about to take that first buttery handful, when the popcorn in your hand falls onto the floor. You count, “one…two…” as you scoop up the popcorn and put it into your mouth. Your friend stares at you, to which you reply “five second rule”. The five second rule states that any food dropped on the floor is safe to eat, as long as you pick it up off the floor within five second. The reasoning: microorganisms cannot transfer from the floor onto food in five seconds. I grew    up with this phrase in my home, and I became curious to see if there is any validity to it.
             According to Dr. Paul Dawson, a food scientist at Clemons University, there is no validity to the five second rule. First, they tested to see how long Salmonella could survive in a non-favorable environment. They discovered that the bacteria could live up to four weeks on dry surfaces. Next, they dropped a “wet food” (bologna) and a “dry food” (bread) on three different types of surfaces: wood, tile, and carpet. They found, that bacteria had transferred to the food upon contact on all types of surfaces. However, the most bacteria were transferred from contact with the tile flooring, and carpet transferred the least. Also, wet food was able to obtain more bacteria. In the report Why The Five Second Rule Should Be The No Second Rule: Eating Habit Myth Exposed, stated that the bologna, which had fallen on tile had 68.6% of the bacteria transferred; while the bread had 48.7% of the bacteria transferred.
            Aston University also reported nearly identical results. However, they compared the bacteria contents of wet food on the floor for 3 seconds and 30 seconds. They discovered that wet food on the floor for 30 seconds had “contained up to 10 times more bacteria than food picked up after 3 seconds”.
            From these two experiments, it is clear that the five second rule does not have any valid evidence to support it. Although Aston University had proven that the more time spent on the floor, the more bacteria can develop on the food, it must be over a significant amount of time. Five seconds is simply not enough time. However, the ancestors of humans, like all other animals, have eaten food off of the ground, and have been digesting bacteria for millions of years. Therefore, our stomach is able to handle ingesting certain bacteria. I have eaten food off the floor multiple times in my life, and have never contracted any serious illnesses. So, use your best judgment. If the ground is dirty and the food is wet, then you may not want to eat the food. On the other hand, if you think your snack is yummy enough, and you simply don’t care, bon appetite. 

To see the experiment yourself: Here is a video from the T.V. show Mythbusters.
http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/five-second-rule-minimyth.htm
 
References
Clemson University. (2014). Why the Five-Second Rule Should Be the No-Second Rule: Eating Habit Myths Exposed. (http://www.clemson.edu/academics/programs/creative-inquiry/projects/spotlight/food-myth.html)

Greenemameier, Larry. (2014). Fact or Fiction?: The 5-Second Rule for Dropped Food. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-the-5-second-rule-for-dropped-food/