We've all been there - delicious confectionery in hand, we go to pop the tiny morsel into our mouth and BAM, it slips and falls to the floor. But it's OK, right? The 5 second rule means you can pick up that fruity gummy lolly or promotional chocolate and eat it as long as it hasn't been on the ground longer than it takes for you to count to five. Right??

Floor Candy is No Good

While we've all happily come to accept the 5 second rule as a fact of life (it gives us a second chance at eating a dropped treat, after all) unfortunately it looks like the whole thing is just a myth. According to research performed by Rutgers Professorr Donald W. Schaffner, even if your candy is only on the ground for a split second the chances are you're still going to pick up bacteria with it. Professor Schaffner's work tells us that bacteria transfer is instantaneous - meaning even if you react within the golden 5 seconds to get your yummy custom lollies back, they're still going to be rife with whatever bacteria they've touched on the ground.

But fear not, there are some variants that fans of candy can take heed in. For starters, hard confectionery with a firm surface (like M&M's, jelly beans or Skittles) don't have surfaces that tend to be conducive to bacteria adherence. Whereas healthy food like a slice of watermelon or a piece of orange are moist and thus likely to gather a lot more bacteria than their hard candy cousins. Not to mention that carpet has a lower transmission rate than a tiled floor or a stainless steel bench.

So take heed, if you're going to eat yummy lollies or chocolates the bin is probably the best place for any sweet treats that miss your mouth and end up on the floor.

Facts first spotted here: http://www.parents.com/health/parents-news-now/turns-out-the-5-second-rule-is-not-actually-a-thing/