The ‘Five Second Rule’ Is Real, Say Nasa Engineers
24th May 2016
The “five second rule” – the urban food myth, ever-justifying your decision to eat a dropped tasty treat – does exist, according to two NASA engineers.
The 87 per cent of people who admitted they would happily eat food after it had fallen on the floor in a 2014 survey, will be pleased to know there is legitimate science behind the rule, although certain conditions do apply.
Speaking on the Science Channel’s The Quick and the Curious NASA engineers, Mark Rober and Mike Meacham, explained the amount of moisture in your food and the surface upon which it is dropped are major factors in how much bacteria it will pick up.
“The ‘five second rule’ is really the ’30 second moisture and surface rule’,” they say.