Wondering if food is still ok to eat after it s been dropped on the floor or anywhere else is a pretty common experience.
Im a doctor if i drop food on the floor.
No it s never a good idea to eat food that has been dropped.
Some foods can be dropped and left on the floor for up to a half an hour and still be safe to eat.
Unless you are dropping food in a doctor s office or in a.
So if you eat the food you ve dropped you re also eating any bacteria the food picked up.
If i drop food on the kitchen floor i still eat it.
Turns out fallen food does pick up germs immediately upon making contact with the floor and the amount of bacteria transferred can be enough to make you sick according to paul dawson phd a.
It said that no matter how fast you pick up food that falls on the floor you will pick up bacteria with it.
According to the study out of aston university in birmingham england.
And foods with wet surfaces like an apple slice pick up bacteria even more easily than things like a cookie.
I do that because the harm i might get from the floor is not worth my concern compared with many many other things.
Why you can eat food after it s been dropped on the floor.
You may feel differently.
In a study the researcher discovered that dropped food picked up no more than 0 0004 of bacteria covering typical floor types.
He said sandwiches crisps dry toast and biscuits i e.
The 5 second rule is just wishful thinking bacteria can attach to food as soon as it hits the floor.
Even food that s.
You may have read or heard about the study debunking the five second rule.
You read that right.
And it s probably not a new one either.
When you drop a piece of food on the floor any bacteria living on the floor will adhere to it.