Relying on five-second rule for fallen food? Don’t count on it...

DROPPING food on the ground and immediately picking it up again to eat is something most of us have done without much thought.

For those slightly cautious, saying the magic words “fivesecond rule” may reassure them that no harm is done.

But a group of fifth-class pupils from Darndale, Dublin, were suspicious and wanted to discover if the famous fivesecond rule had any merit.

Talking at the RDS Primary Science Fair, Jamie Campbell

(11) said his class conducted thorough experiments.

“We put different types of food like crackers, bread and cheese on the floor for zero, five and 30 seconds.

“We then put them in a broth, shook them up and placed them in petri jars.

“Afterwards, we sent them to a lab and put them in an incubator at 37 degrees, which is the temperature bacteria love to grow in. After waiting

24 hours, we noticed that bacteria colonies had grown on each one.”

Amazed

The pupils at Our Lady Immaculate Senior National School say they were amazed to see how large their bacteria colonies had grown, depending on how long the food had been on the ground.

“We found that the fivesecond rule is false,” continued Jamie. “You definitely shouldn’t eat any food that has fallen on the ground because you don’t know how that bacteria will affect you.

“We also found that the cracker had a lot less bacteria on it compared to cheese which seemed to grab at bacteria the moment it hit the floor.”

Almost 3,000 primary school children are taking part in the ninth annual RDS Primary Science Fair.