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in
England suggested that there may be a basis for the five-second rule. Anthony Hilton, head of microbiology at Aston University, indicated in 2017 that food dropped on a seemingly clean floor for a few moments can be eaten with minimal risk. According to Hilton, moist foods that are left on the
167:
transferred between surface and food. Since bacteria tended to be attracted to moisture, wet food had more risk to have bacteria transferred than dry food. To the surprise of the researchers, carpet transferred fewer bacteria than steel or tile. Wood was hard to pin down as it showed a large
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In 2003, Jillian Clarke, a high school student during an apprenticeship investigated the rule. She found 56% of men and 70% of women surveyed were familiar with the five-second rule. She also determined that a variety of foods were significantly contaminated by even brief exposure to a tile
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in the 15th century. He is rumoured to have implemented the "Khan Rule" at his banquets. "If food fell on the floor, it could stay there as long as Khan allowed," and the idea was that "food prepared for Khan was so special that it would be good for anyone to eat no matter what."
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on wood, tiles, and nylon carpet, found that the bacteria could thrive under dry conditions even after twenty-eight days. Tested on surfaces that had been contaminated with salmonella eight hours previously, the bacteria could still contaminate bread and
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A pediatrician criticized the study for discounting the danger in consuming food after one touches other surfaces like refrigerator handles, light switches, and wallets, which have been found to be similarly contaminated with bacteria.
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215:, which discovered that there was no significant difference in the number of bacteria collected. The aspects that affect the contamination process is the moisture, surface geometry and the location. An episode of
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Dawson, P; Han, I; Cox, M; Black, C; Simmons, L (1 April 2007). "Residence time and food contact time effects on transfer of
Salmonella Typhimurium from tile, wood and carpet: testing the five-second rule".
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163:. The surfaces used were carpet, ceramic tile, stainless steel and wood. The food was left on the surface for intervals of 5, 30 and 300 seconds. The scientists assessed the amount of
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debunked the theory in 2016 by dropping watermelon cubes, gummy candies, plain white bread, and buttered bread from a height of five inches (13 cm) onto surfaces slathered in
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There appears to be no scientific consensus on the general applicability of the rule, and its origin is unclear. It is speculated to have originated from legends about
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of what actually happens when bacteria transfer from a surface to food," Donald
Schaffner, a Rutgers University biologist and an author of the research, stated in the
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The origins of the five-second rule are unclear. Food scientist Pawl Dawson and microbiologist Brian
Sheldon have traced the origins to legends surrounding
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lunchmeat in under five seconds. But a minute-long contact increased contamination about tenfold (especially on tile and carpet surfaces).
129:. On the other hand, Clarke found no significant evidence of contamination on public flooring. For this work, Clarke received the 2004
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floor for more than 30 seconds are contaminated with 10 times more bacteria than food that has been left on the floor for 3 seconds.
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suggests that if they are picked up within five seconds, it is safe to eat them without rewashing.
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that states a defined time window after which it is not safe to eat food (or sometimes to use
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60:) after it has been dropped on the floor or on the ground and thus exposed to contamination.
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The five-second rule has received some scholarly attention. It has been studied as both a
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527:"The 'five-second rule' for eating food? Scientists just demonstrated how gross it is"
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University of
Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences
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613:"'Five-second rule' for food dropped on the floor approved by germ scientists"
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395:"If You Drop It, Should You Eat It? Scientists Weigh In on the 5-Second Rule"
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The first known mention of the myth in modern print was in the 1995 novel
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661:"Annotated Mythbusters: Episode 39 Chinese Invasion Alarm, 5 Second Rule"
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211:
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26:
558:"I'm a Doctor. If I Drop Food on the Kitchen Floor, I Still Eat It"
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498:"The Five-second Rule Explored, or: How Dirty Is That Bologna?"
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636:"Fact or Fiction?: The 5-Second Rule for Dropped Food"
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found that bacteria will cling to food immediately.
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168:variation. "The five-second rule is a significant
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266:"Intern Puts Science Behind the Five-Second Rule"
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594:"Researchers prove the five-second rule is real"
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176:, "Bacteria can contaminate instantaneously."
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67:. It was first mentioned in print in 1995.
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201:The five-second rule was featured in an
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291:"The Origin Of 'The Five-Second Rule'"
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427:from the original on August 30, 2009
353:participating institution membership
289:Mayer, Johanna (February 20, 2019).
188:A 2014 study by biology students at
136:A more thorough study in 2007 using
525:Guarino, Ben (September 13, 2016).
401:. September 2, 2009. Archived from
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366:Deardorff, Julie (August 9, 2010).
13:
264:Sefton, Dru (September 29, 2003).
240:"'5-Second Rule' Rules, Sometimes"
16:Western cultural food hygiene myth
14:
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463:10.1111/j.1365-2672.2006.03171.x
417:"Winners of the Ig® Nobel Prize"
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450:Journal of Applied Microbiology
368:"Capsule: The five-second rule"
611:Ryan Hooper (March 15, 2017).
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707:American cultural conventions
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21:Five-second rule (basketball)
19:For the basketball rule, see
659:Conley, Ken (October 2005).
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98:as a "twenty-second rule".
33:dropped on the ground. The
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325:Oxford English Dictionary
238:Skanulis, Leanna (2007).
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330:Oxford University Press
615:. The Independent (UK)
338:10.1093/OED/7821975804
271:Newhouse News Services
160:Enterobacter aerogenes
118:University of Illinois
83:
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278:on November 15, 2006.
110:recommendation and a
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727:Applied microbiology
634:Greenemeier, Larry.
556:(October 10, 2016).
96:Wanted: Rowing Coach
640:Scientific American
574:on October 10, 2016
532:The Washington Post
328:(Online ed.).
45:, or sometimes the
667:on March 21, 2008.
568:The New York Times
504:The New York Times
170:oversimplification
155:Rutgers University
149:Rutgers University
133:in public health.
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554:Carroll, Aaron E.
405:on July 27, 2013.
373:Los Angeles Times
351:(Subscription or
207:Discovery Channel
47:three-second rule
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457:(4): 945–953.
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665:the original
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88:Genghis Khan
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81:Genghis Khan
79:Portrait of
65:Genghis Khan
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54:urban legend
51:food hygiene
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31:Strawberries
712:Food safety
212:MythBusters
701:Categories
645:2023-05-02
563:The Upshot
355:required.)
225:References
138:salmonella
619:March 15,
578:July 10,
538:July 10,
510:July 10,
479:19871846
471:17381737
431:July 10,
425:Archived
379:July 10,
343:July 10,
319:"second"
302:July 10,
249:July 10,
197:Informal
114:effect.
102:Research
209:series
205:of the
203:episode
143:baloney
126:E. coli
71:History
58:cutlery
49:, is a
677:Portal
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475:S2CID
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244:WebMD
184:Other
691:Food
621:2017
580:2024
540:2024
512:2024
467:PMID
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251:2024
41:The
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