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Is food dropped on the floor safe to eat?


Still Waters

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Who hasn't picked up a piece of dropped food from the floor, given it a quick blow and assumed it was still safe to eat?

To many of us, it is second nature to apply the age-old pseudo-scientific 'three second rule' on such occasions, telling ourselves we're safe if the food hit the floor only momentarily.

The idea that food is not contaminated if it is retrieved quickly has been believed for many years - but there has not been extensive proof that this is the case

http://www.dailymail...r-safe-eat.html

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It depends a GREAT deal on the floor in question! Average kitchen where people mop weekly.... probably fine. A hospital? Don't even think about it.

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If you're a germophobe or your parents we're over protective and didn't let you play in the dirt, I wouldn't try it!

Most of the time it would be harmless, it's more the stigma of eating off a dirty floor which stops people.

I do it sometimes :) It's a toss up between how hungry I am, how dirty the floor is at the time, the quality & type of food I dropped and whether it has any hairs attached when I pick it up.

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Only 1/3 of Brits mop their floor once a week? :w00t: Nah not having that! Anyhow well done MMU... slightly biased as that's my daughters University and there is NO WAY I would eat food once it's been on my pristine floor :P

Edited by Star of the Sea
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Any floor anywhere contains millions of bacteria,some of them nasty little swines,who are hoping you drop something then pick it up and pop it in your mouth,and then they are on a free ride to invade your immune system,they LIVE inside you and cause allsorts of problems.Just imagine that you went down the street to the shop and back,What did you step upon ?.Dried dog muck which you didnt see,rat urine which dried overnight,dried spit, etc..then you went back to your kitchen walked on the floor,dropped a sweet picked it up and hey,you got traces of all the above in your stomach,nice one....I hope you live to see the next new years eve...A survey suggested that the Top number ONE place where bacteria live is not your loo,but your car steering wheel.....think about it,what did you handle today,a stair rail ? an elevator button ? a door handle ? but you washed your hands before lunch didnt you...!.I apologise if this offends but I am trying to make you aware of the Invisible Monsters that can shorten your life...Enough said ,bye

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How many people have died or gotten gravely ill from eating food that was on the floor for a few seconds? I bet not many.

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How many people have died or gotten gravely ill from eating food that was on the floor for a few seconds? I bet not many.

No statistics available on your specific question,but how many die per year through stomach ailments,bowel cancer etc,things that no one can pin down,but its not atributal to picking up food from the floor,its just not the right thing to do,why put yourself in harms way ?
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Mythbusters covered this quite well. The answer naturally depends on how clean and dry the floor is, and the nature of the food.

It's about 9th video down here..

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How many people have died or gotten gravely ill from eating food that was on the floor for a few seconds? I bet not many.

There is that pesky five second rule.....if it isn't sticky that is. :whistle:

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You know in the military, a Drill Instructor will make you clean a floor so damn well (often with a toothbrush), that he can eat off of it. I thought it was just an ol' phrase, but somebody actually caught one DI doing it.

Now that's hardcore man...haaaaardcooooooore!

Edited by Purifier
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if it's something sticky or wet then no. if it's a vegetable i'm chopping for dinner i rinse it and it goes back with the rest

take more than that to kill me

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As others here have said, it depends on the floor and whats dropped on it. Here, we have tiled marble floors which are easily and regularly cleaned. If it's something that has not yet been cooked and can be rinsed, I dont waste it. If it's cooked food, but dry, I will eat it. (unless the dog gets to it first lol)

In Thailand we dont wear shoes in the house, ever, so we dont worry about what germs we might have brought in on our shoes. It's slippers, or bare feet. Bare feet?....eeewww...maybe I will stop eating dropped food lol :)

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I wonder what they blame when they get "the runs",it must have been something I ate ! I give up...

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hmmm... im a complete clean .:*FREAK*:. LOL i wont eat anything dropped on the floor, or anything that has hair on it. i only drink out of bottles and cover up my plate when i eat. i hate dust. and i live in a hella dusty house.

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Luckily, I'm Scottish so I usually catch food, or money, before it hits the floor.

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I thought most people wash or wipe off food that's dropped, unless it sticky; in which case it gets thrown away. The article did not seem to address this.

If a drop an apple, I always wash it afterwards. And I've dropped a biscuit- I just brush it off with my hands.

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My Grandfather had a saying..."What doesn't fatten, will fill!"

I firmly believe we've become too 'cleanliness - obssessed', which is giving rise to the increase in incidences of child asthma and allergies, because their natural immune systems are not being allowed to develop. I'm not advocating eating dirty food, but the modern trend to sanitize every conceivable surface, nook and cranny in our homes may be self-defeating in the long run.

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Back on topic...

Depends on how dirty it looks once retrieved and how hungry you are, imo.

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A bigger question is how much money was spent on this?

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I eat off the floor if it's a tasty treat. But if it's something like cake that's moist, I'm a bit more apprehensive. Not saying that I won't EVER do it but I'm also gross.

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Dropped on my floor...I'd probably go ahead and eat it.

Dropped anywhere else...Hell no.

*I steam mop my floors just about every day*

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Dropped on my floor...I'd probably go ahead and eat it.

Dropped anywhere else...Hell no.

*I steam mop my floors just about every day*

May I borrow your steam mop?

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May I borrow your steam mop?

Sure, if you're willing to schlep from Arizona to Massachusetts. :) Probably be cheaper to just go on QVC and buy one of your own though. :lol:

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