

The three second rule - fact or fiction? - cronut
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2138777/The-second-rule-fact-fiction-Scientists-reveal-food-dropped-floor-safe-eat.html

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dalke
A perennial topic. See [http://news.aces.illinois.edu/news/if-you-drop-it-
should-you...](http://news.aces.illinois.edu/news/if-you-drop-it-should-you-
eat-it-scientists-weigh-5-second-rule) , which won the 2004 Ig Nobel Prize in
public health.

Jillian Clarke's full report referenced a similar rule from the time of
Genghis Khan. (I think it was a 24 hour rule for meat.)

It was explored more by a Clemson project
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17381737](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17381737)
.

This work from Manchester Metropolitan University is mentioned at
[http://www.staff.mmu.ac.uk/manmetlife/news/view/food-
researc...](http://www.staff.mmu.ac.uk/manmetlife/news/view/food-research-is-
media-smash) but I can't find the actual research.

("Technician Kathy Lees was commissioned by cleaning manufacturers Vileda to
research how safe it is to eat food which has been dropped on the floor. She
tested five food items for 3, 5, and 10 seconds - cooked pasta, ham, a plain
biscuit, drief fruit and bread and jam - and discovered that the higher the
salt of sugar content the less chance of the survival of any harmful
bacteria.")

