What Does Science Say About the Three Second Rule? You really
were looking forward to taking a bite of that hamburger, carrot,
Popsicle, gummy bear, you name it, but one second ago it landed
on the floor. Within another second, you’ve swooped it up and
are now considering the three second rule. Should this age old
meme justify your blowing it off and sticking it your mouth
acting like nothing happened? Given that the three second rule
is so well known, health experts weighing in on it is nothing
new, but for those of you who may not have thought twice about
eating morsels that have hit the floor, here’s a little bit of
scientific food for thought. The Daily Mail reports that
researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University tested
different foods — bread with jam, cooked pasta, ham, a plain
biscuit and dried fruit — for different lengths of time on the
floor. After three, five and 10 seconds on the floor, the
researchers studied the food for any potentially harmful
bacteria it may have picked up. The Daily Ma