Food dropped on the floor, picked up in 3 seconds to eat OK

Food dropped on the floor, picked up in 3 seconds to eat OK (Alberta Times) Many people believe that food dropped on the floor can still be eaten if it is quickly picked up, and it will not affect the body, and...

If food falls on the floor, it’s OK to pick it up and eat it within 3 seconds (Alberta Times) Many people believe that if food falls on the floor, it can still be eaten and will not affect the body if it is picked up quickly. This is the so-called "3-second rule" (referring to picking it up within 3 seconds). Researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University conducted experiments on five kinds of food, including jam-smeared bread, cooked noodles, ham, ordinary biscuits and dehydrated fruit (dried fruit), because these five foods have different levels of water activity, and water activity is the key to determining whether bacteria can breed. The researchers dropped the foods on the ground and let them sit for 3 seconds, 5 seconds and 10 seconds respectively. They found that, in comparison, foods with higher salt or sugar content were still edible because harmful bacteria were less likely to survive. Processed foods are the least dangerous because they often contain more salt or sugar. If you pick up salty ham and sugary bread with jam within 3 seconds, no harmful bacteria will grow. Cookies are also safe to eat because of their low water content. As for dehydrated fruits and cooked noodles, harmful Klebsiella bacteria will appear after 3 seconds. This harmful bacteria can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections, sepsis and other symptoms.