Food waste is something we should strive to stay away from. £10.2 billion is lost annually ($ 15.5 billion) on wasted food within the U.K. The U.S. never even touches 15 percent of what they produce in food, which costs the nation $ 43 billion annually. You’d think the five second rule – where dropped food is assumed to be fit to eat so long as it is scooped off the floor in less than five seconds – would be encouraged by economists. According to Chicago Tribune, a Clemson University study by food scientist Paul Dawson entirely rebukes the validity of any such five second rule.
Phase out the five second rule for zero tolerance to be safe
Since salmonella and other harmful bacteria can live on a dry surface for as long as a month, Dawson may be right. The Connecticut College study that used apple slices and Skittles is Dawson’s main opposer. Apparently the apple slices only showed infection after a one minute, while the Skittles took nearly five minutes to become infected. Reduced food waste and improved childhood immune systems were connected to the five second rule in yet another study, this time at the University of Maine.
Location, location, location
The five second rule is arbitrary and meaningless, claims Dawson and others of similar scholarly bent. If you want to see severe infectious germs, consider bathroom and kitchen surfaces. But Dawson’s work doesn’t mean any dropped food is gone; pick up the bagel that just hit the sidewalk and brush it off if you like. Amazingly, public sidewalks can be considerably cleaner, as they do not provide as many germ-favorable substances.
Some five second rule fast facts
Like any person else, the Tribune knows that you’ll pick up something if you really want it. As a result; studies have found that cookies and candy are likely to be retrieved, as opposed to broccoli. It is also interesting to note that research seems to disprove gender stereotypes: women are more likely to eat dropped food than men.
More details on this topic
featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2010/07/debunking-the-fivesecond-dropped-food-rule.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_waste
