Facts About the Five Second Rule!

Oh no! My last M&M, and it's a GREEN one! It has slipped through my hand and landed on the floor. Thank goodness for the Five Second Rule, a social folklore that asserts that food dropped on the ground does not become contaminated by bacteria if it is picked up within five seconds. Could this urban myth possibly be true? Should I depend on it to escape food poisoning? Well, that depends...research has found that it's less about the amount of time food stays on the floor, and more about how much bacteria is there. All the big baddies: salmonella, e-coli and listeria, all need moisture to survive. If you drop your M&M on a sticky or damp floor, then in the trash it goes! The study found that women are more likely to invoke the 5 second rule, and that we are more likely to eat a dropped cookie or candy than broccoli or cauliflower. The bottom line is that whatever bacteria is going to get on your food, gets there when your food lands, and that a dry floor is the safest to eat from.

Do you live by the 5 second rule? What's the grossest thing you've gone back in for? Comment here or tweet #5secondrule

That was a tasty green M&M. And yes, I am now feeling frisky.

Celeste