Science saves the day and allows us to indulge in our weirdness yet again.
A scientist, who specialises in germs by the way, claims that food that has been dropped on the floor is usually safe to eat, thus legitimising the “five-second rule.”
The germ expert, Professor Anthony Hilton from Aston University, said that although retrieving these morsels can never be completely without risk, there is little to be concerned about if the food is only there momentarily.
Professor Hilton will be demonstrating how the five-second rule works at The Big Bang Fair – a celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people – which opens today at the NEC in Birmingham.
Hilton said: “Eating food that has spent a few moments on the floor can never be entirely risk-free.
“Obviously, food covered in visible dirt shouldn't be eaten, but as long as it's not obviously contaminated, the science shows that food is unlikely to have picked up harmful bacteria from a few seconds spent on an indoor floor.
“That is not to say that germs can't transfer from the floor to the food.
“Our research has shown that the nature of the floor surface, the type of food dropped on the floor and the length of time it spends on the floor can all have an impact on the number that can transfer.”
The research was inspired by a survey of 2,000 people in which 79 per cent admitted to eating food that had fallen on the floor.
Mind you, we’re not going to be taking the new study too extremely anytime soon…
