is there any truth behind the “5 second rule”? How long does it actually take for germs to contaminate food once it’s on the ground?

Question

For the sake of the experiment, let’s assume we’re talking about a kitchen floor.

In: Biology

Answer 1

The 5-second rule is based on an assumption that bacteria and germs _act like people._ That when you drop food, they go “ooh, food!” and then _run over and hop on it._ So if you can just pick up the food fast enough, you’ll get to it before they do. In reality, the germs are all over the place. When you drop food, it lands on the germs and gets them all over itself immediately.