Is the “3 second rule” when food falls on the floor true? There is a good thing to know

Paf! A big piece of your delicious pie has just fallen to the floor. According to some, if you pick it up in less than three seconds, you can eat it. But there is one thing: know before.

A slightly hectic aperitif, slightly distracted children, a somewhat rushed cook. and patatras! Part of your pasta or your peas, a piece of your pie or your delicious cake crashes to the ground. These little everyday awkwardnesses are common and it is not uncommon to drop all or part of your dish on the floor during a meal. From there, there are two possible choices: throw this delicious food away with a grumble or quickly pick it up and gobble it up without thinking too much about the consequences.

Who among us has never picked up a bag? fallen food on the ground believing that it was still suitable for use. consumption? Many moreover refer to the famous "3-second rule" to put gluttony before deprivation. This popular belief is that a food item that has fallen into the on the ground can be consumed without risk if it has passed less than three seconds on the ground.

Science has looked into the question and has nuanced it a little. the adage… There are still some precautions to follow. take. A study carried out in 2016 indeed confirmed that bacteria could reach a food from the moment it was removed. it comes into contact with the ground. Make no mistake: the adhesion of bacteria is therefore immediate. On the other hand, it is proven that that their quantity increases with the time of contact with the food. The longer it remains on the ground, the more likely bacteria are to nest there.

So does the three-second rule reduce the risk? No doubt, but the French virologist Océane Sorel or even Nicole Arnold, security specialist, food, encourage the greatest caution in the media. According to the latter, everyone's threshold of tolerance differs, but she herself would not consume a chip that had passed the minimum age limit. a few seconds on the ground. It only takes minimal contact with Salmonella to spread it. ANSES itself warns against salmonellosis, an acute gastroenteritis. caused by these bacteria.

If we absolutely want to do not waste, respecting the three seconds will be a very slight precaution which can be reinforced by a little attention. In a statement to Real Simple magazine, one of the researchers in the 2016 study points out that it depends on the location of the disaster. Consuming fallen food on the ground will undoubtedly be more risky. still outside the controlled environment from one's own home, such as in a restaurant or worse, in the street or in a train station.

Océane Sorel indicates for her part that the risk varies depending on the food and its humidity: if the food is mushy or damp, or if your kitchen floor has been exhibition à droplets from chicken juice, the risk of picking up salmonella will be higher. She ends by emphasizing that blowing on fallen food causes serious harm. will not rid it of bacteria deposited there!

When in doubt, prevention is better than cure and avoiding myths: maybe leaving this piece of food where it belongs he fell is better than a very practical but arbitrary rule.