Have you ever heard of the 5 second rule? If you immediately pick up food that has just fallen on the ground, it could still be eaten. Is this true and safe?
Dropping food… This happens very often. Can we still eat it without fear if we pick it up right away? This is the famous 5-second rule, according to which bacteria need five seconds to invade food. So, is this really the case? We asked the question to the FASFC, the federal agency for the safety of the food chain. “What is important to know is a true scientific rule: food in a prepared dish, the population of bacteria doubles in volume every 20 minutes. And that’s where perhaps the idea of the 5 seconds comes from. We therefore think that by picking up food very quickly, it will not be contaminated. But in reality it all depends on several factors“, says Aline Van Den Broeck, spokesperson for the FASFC.
This rule is a received idea.
It depends on the type of food we are talking about, dry or wet, and the type of floor it falls on: a very clean indoor floor or a very dirty floor. You must also consider the condition or age of the person who will ingest the food. “This rule is a preconceived idea, because everything depends on these factors“, continues Aline Van Den Broeck. “If it’s a dry cookie on a clean floor and it’s eaten by a healthy person, probably nothing will happen at all“.
To avoid taking any risks, it is better to follow these tips. “If it is a food that is intended to be consumed raw, we will advise you to rinse it thoroughly and wash it well. This should be enough. If it is a food that is intended to be cooked, cooking will remove and kill any bacteria that may be on the food.
Final advice: when preparing, do not use the same utensils for raw foods and cooked foods, in order to avoid possible contamination.
food federal agency for food safety
