The 5-second rule: Is it safe to have food off the floor?

 (Source:https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news)

Is it safe to have food off the floor?

Imagine you are holding the last slice of pizza in your hand, and just when you are about to take a big bite of the delicious cheesy treat, it slips from your hand and drops on the floor? What would you do? Eat it or toss it away?

If you are like most people, you may choose "the 5-second rule". You would carefully examine the piece and if it was on the floor for less than 5 seconds, you'd bite into it. Truth be told we all have resorted to 5 seconds rule when stuck in a difficult situation like this. Well, the question is, if it is safe to eat food off the floor or not?

Understanding the 5-second rule

As per the famous rule, if a food item has been picked up within 5-second from the ground then it is not contaminated and safe to eat. It is a common belief that germs and bacteria do not stick on the surface of the food in this time limit and are absolutely safe for consumption.

Is it safe to have food?

The simple answer to this question is NO. Food that comes in contact with a contaminated surface, even for 1-second, picks up some amount of bacteria. Eating them puts you at the risk of diarrhoea and food poisoning. Also, there is no way to know what kind of bacteria is present on the surface. Even if your surface is clean, you cannot say how many people have walked from the place.

Who should be more careful?

Eating food picked from the ground is even more dangerous in the current time when we are dealing with COVID-19. Coronavirus is a highly infectious virus that can spread from one person to the other by inhaling contaminated aerosol particles or coming in contact with contaminated surfaces. Apart from this, several other germs can also be present on the surface. The germ and bacteria might not cause harm to all but can pose a great threat to some. This includes:

young children

older adults

pregnant women