The Five-Second Rule

Dear Patient and Fastidious Readers,

Madame L believes you will be delighted to hear that the five-second rule appears to be a good rule to go by.

Yes, Madame L has heard of the study a few years ago that supposedly found that even one second is enough for horrible germs to get on some dropped food.

But the latest scientific research, at Aston University in the U.K., seems to have found that "...food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria than if it is left for longer periods of time."

This research was conducted by final-year biology students at the university. It reminds Madame L of research done by some of her biology lab students a few years ago, looking for the most likely sites of bacteria around a university campus. It reminds Madame L of that research in that it was done by students.

These students' supervising professor said, "Consuming food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk as it very much depends on which bacteria are present on the floor at the time; however the findings of this study will bring some light relief to those who have been employing the five-second rule for years, despite a general consensus that it is purely a myth."

He added, "We have found evidence that transfer from indoor flooring surfaces is incredibly poor with carpet actually posing the lowest risk of bacterial transfer onto dropped food."

So, go for it, Dear Readers! Oh, by the way, the science students also found that almost 90% of people they surveyed have eaten or think they might eat food dropped on the floor; but most of them say they would follow the five-second rule.