No it s never a good idea to eat food that has been dropped.
What happens if you eat food off the floor.
E coli can cause diarrhoea and urinary tract.
And foods with wet surfaces like an apple slice pick up bacteria even more easily than things like a cookie.
But it depends on what you drop and where.
And it s not just dropping food on the floor that can lead to bacterial contamination.
You could become ill regardless of whether you ate food from the floor.
Bacteria are carried by various media which can include raw food moist surfaces where bacteria has been.
If you are unlucky enough to host salmonella bacteria on your floor dropped food could make you.
First let s address the elephant in the room.
Even food that s picked up quickly can be contaminated.
It s all about bacteria when you drop a piece of food on the floor any bacteria living on the floor will adhere to it.
Aaron e carroll indiana university s professor of pediatrics says he eats food that s been on the floor rejecting the advice of a recent study that suggests food dropped on the floor will pick.
The 5 second rule is just wishful thinking bacteria can attach to food as soon as it hits the floor.
The five second rule which states that as long as dropped food is picked up within five seconds of hitting the floor it s safe to eat.
The usual warnings apply.
And it s not just dropping food on the floor that can lead to bacterial contamination.
So if you eat the food you ve dropped you re also eating any.
Bacteria are carried by various media which can include raw food moist surfaces where bacteria has been.
The only thing that matters when food is dropped is how sticky it is.
Turns out fallen food does pick up germs immediately upon making contact with the floor and the amount of bacteria transferred can be enough to make you sick according to paul dawson phd a food.