The interpretation varies, depending on one's perspective.

What are your thoughts on the five-second rule?  —Martha S., St. Louis

The “five-second rule” stipulates that any food that’s fallen on the ground or floor is safe to eat if picked up within five seconds. It doesn’t stipulate the type of food involved nor the surface on which it has fallen. Clouding the issue is that some surfaces and foods may be safer candidates than others. The overriding concern is that the bacteria encountered may cause a food-borne illness, which can and does happen.

No matter one’s position on the germophobe spectrum, it’s safe to say that we’ve all dropped food and have at least momentarily debated the options: whether to consume/serve the item without a thought, throw it out, or opt for the many brush-off, rinse-off, wash, or blow-on-it-and-inspect options in between.

At least one study indicates that moisture, surface porosity, and contact time on the ground all contribute to the degree of cross-contamination. Food that’s moist and sticky will harbor more bacteria than dry food, and certain types of foods fare better than others when dropped on the floor. Food dropped on a carpet, for instance, tends to have less contamination than food that lands on a wooden, tile, or stainless-steel surface. (Yes, it may seem counterintuitive.)

Other studies have shown that certain foods (such as raw meat, fish, and cheese) are more prone to contamination and that time is indeed a factor. So food that has been on the ground for one second, for instance, might be less contaminated than had it been exposed for five or 10 seconds.

A logical conclusion (to us personally, anyway) is that wet, sticky foods should be thrown out and that dry, solid foods that have fallen on a clean surface might be good to go if the five-second rule is followed.

We asked several restaurant owners, chefs, and food writers their opinions as well.

Mike Johnson, Sugarfire Restaurant Group: "At home it’s more like the five-minute rule (haha). At the restaurants, it’s going in the trash. I wouldn’t want someone serving me food that had touched the floor… There are just way too many things that could stick to it that we may or may not see. It’s also not worth the risk of a customer seeing the act. Can you imagine the flood of bad publicity? Bottom line: If something touches the floor, it’s gone."

Brant Baldanza, OG Hospitality Group: "At home, we have three dogs, so the five-second rule doesn't apply. At the restaurant, anyone picking up floor food knows they would have about five seconds to clock out and get out before I went bulldog on them."

Pepe Kehm, Peno: "There is no five-second rule! Don’t compromise. Use quality products. Then be clean, and be careful with them."  

Pat Eby, SLM dining writer: "When I drop food, which isn't all that rare, it usually plops on the top of my shirt. My inclination is to pick it up, eat it, and then get out the magic pen, the one with the stain-removing goo. If I'm in a restaurant and food somehow lands on the table or floor, I pick it up delicately with a paper napkin or tissue and fold it up for the server to take away. At home, the five-second rule doesn't apply: If anything falls off the counter, our 14-year-old dog jumps on it so fast, it's like it never happened." 

Collin Preciado, SLM dining writer: "Regarding the 5 second rule, my illusion of control surrounding food cleanliness completely disappeared when I started having children. A lot of food winds up on the floor and the five second rule quickly goes from "well, does it have hair and dirt on it?" to "whatever - GULP." All it really takes is witnessing a child eat a Goldfish that's been on the floor of your car for God knows how long before you find yourself eating things in conditions that would traumatize other people." 

Dave Lowry, SLM dining critic: "The esculent nature of a food that’s found its way to the floor has less to do with the period of time it has been there and more to do with the food itself. Boiled asparagus spears that hit the linoleum, for instance, are castigated to the trash bin, whereas a misplaced morsel of prime, dry-aged ribeye (risk be damned) might just be retrieved. M&Ms discovered under the couch that are so old they have to be carbon-dated to determine how long they’ve been there seem to be fine... It’s all a matter of categories."

Follow dining editor George Mahe on Twitter and Instagram, subscribe to his weekly newsletter, or send him an "Ask George" email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.

Mahe is St. Louis Magazine's dining editor. Like this story? Want to share other feedback? Send Mahe an email at gmahe@stlmag.com.

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