Another study published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology tested the five-second rule again and found that the amount of bacteria transferred to food didn’t really depend much on how long the food was left on the contaminated surface. What matters is how dirty the patch of floor is and the type of surface it lands on. Surprisingly carpets are better places to drop food than wood or tile. Less than 1% of bacteria were transferred from a carpet that was inoculated with Salmonella. When food was dropped on tile or wood, 48-70% of bacteria came into contact.
What’s the verdict? Should you eat food from the floor? Experts advise that you let it go because from a food safety standpoint, even 0.1% of bacteria can make you sick. Germophobes rejoice at the idea of throwing away a piece of food that touches the dirty floor they walk on, but what about everything else?
When you think about how many people touch your food before it reaches your mouth, you’ll be surprised. There are so many forms of bacteria that can travel along the way, from people touching and handling food to airborne bacteria that travels along the way. The good news is that foodborne illnesses are not that serious. The best thing to do is to use common sense and handle food as carefully and as clean as possible to avoid the chances of contracting bacteria.