For a long time, there has been a common myth – the 5-second rule, which states that food dropped on the floor for 5 seconds or less is still safe to eat as there is little or no bacteria transferred from the floor to the food. To bust this myth, in this study, we would be finding out how the number of seconds in contact with the floor affects the number and the growth of bacteria. We have tested bread dropped on the floor for different amounts of times to see the growth of bacteria. From the data collected, we found that the bread that spent the longest time in contact with the floor had the fastest and most growth of bacteria after 3 days, while the bread which was in contact with the floor for 5 seconds had the slowest and least growth of bacteria. As such, we can conclude that no matter how long the food was in contact with the bacteria, as long as the food was in contact with the floor, there would be a transfer of bacteria from the floor to the food. As such, we have proven the reliability of the 5-second rule and can help by raising awareness about our findings with the public to educate and address the sustainable goals, Good Health, and Well-being.
Keywords: 5-second rule, time in contact with floor, growth of bacteria, transfer of bacteria