The “5-second rule” has survived for generations like a kitchen commandment: if you grab dropped food fast enough, it’s supposedly safe. But scientists have been quietly side-eyeing that logic for ...

For decades, the so-called five-second rule has been a comfort myth—pick food up quickly and it’s still safe to eat. But food scientists say this popular belief doesn’t hold up under scientific ...

Many people follow the “five-second rule,” but science shows the truth is more about safety than timing. Studies have found that food picks up germs as soon as it hits the floor, regardless of how ...

Just about every parent is familiar with the five second rule. If you drop food on the floor, the rule, always said with a smile, says it's OK to pick it up and eat it as long as it hasn't been there ...

Almost everyone has dropped food on the floor and was immediately filled with disappointment because they still wanted to eat it. The moment is often met with someone nearby yelling, “Five-second rule ...

A food scientist named Paul Dawson recently made the case that the amount of time dropped food can sit on the floor and still be OK to eat is actually zero seconds, not the five (or ten) seconds that ...