It’s the season for the treats that come but once-a-year! But, what if as you make your selections at the holiday party, one of Aunt S’marthy’s famous sausage balls rolls off the platter and hits the floor? Do you call out “Five Second Rule!” and pop it back on your plate and later into your mouth?
Hello, I’m Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs at Southeast Missouri State University. And, I am so very sorry to tell you…the five-second rule is a myth. The five-second rule—the idea that food is still safe to eat if you pick it up off the ground quickly enough—has actually been studied by scientists. In 2016, researchers at Rutgers found that bacteria can stick to dropped food in less than 1 second.
However, the type of food, and the surface it lands on, make a difference. Moist foods on hard surfaces pick up bacteria faster than dry foods dropped on the carpet. And, it is true that the longer something is on the ground, the more bacteria it picks up, but Salmonella can be transferred to the foods tested almost immediately on contact according to an article by Clemson University researchers.
So, should you eat that sausage ball? It depends on how much risk you are willing to take. People with developing or weakened immune systems need to be extra careful. That means young children, older adults, and people who have compromised immune systems should never follow the five-second rule. Experts still agree: When in doubt, throw it out.
Resources:
https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aem.01838-16?permanently=true
https://www.goodrx.com/well-being/diet-nutrition/five-second-rule-real
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/5-second-rule
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-the-5-second-rule-for-dropped-food/
