Jacob Payne

You may have heard of the five-second rule. It applies after you accidentally drop food on the ground. Presumably, if you swoop it up fast enough, it should still be safe to eat. Well, maybe. Maybe not. Jacob Payne has more in this Bobcat Update.

Research at Britain's Aston University offers some support for the theory 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.
The findings suggest there may be some scientific basis to the five- second rule – the urban myth about it being fine to eat food that has only had contact with the floor for five seconds or less. Although people have long followed the five-second rule, there hadn't been any scientific inquiry into whether it was true or not.
(Interview #1)
The study, undertaken by Aston biology students and led by Microbiology Professor Anthony Hilton, tested the rule by having students drop toast, pasta, biscuits, and candy onto a floor that had been exposed to common bacteria. They then measured how much of the bacteria transferred when it was left on the ground for durations ranging from three to 30 seconds.
The results found that food left on the floor for less time does indeed get exposed to less bacteria. Despite this discovery, there are those who refuse to take any chances.
(Interview #2)
(Stand-UP)