The ‘five-second rule’ – an urban myth?
It's lunchtime. As you lift your fork, a piece of chicken falls and drops on the floor. Do you throw it in the bin, or pick it up and eat it?
Many of us will probably do the latter, justifying it with the ‘five-second rule’ – if it's picked up within five seconds, it's still safe to eat. According to a recent survey, 87% of people said they would eat food dropped on the floor, or already have done so. But is this actually safe?
In short – no! Even if it spends a mere second on the floor, it is still enough time for the food to be contaminated with bacteria. How much bacteria, however, depends upon factors such as the floor condition and surface type. Bacteria, along with viruses and moulds can cause food poisoning, leading to a host of unpleasant symptoms such as stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomiting. Anyone can get food poisoning but some people, including babies and children, are more likely to have serious symptoms.
For those who believe that a little dirt never hurt anyone, here’s a harrowing statistic – each year in the UK around a million people suffer a food-related illness. Approximately 20,000 people require hospital treatment and up to 500 may be fatal as a result. Despite this, many of these cases can be prevented by practising good food hygiene.
EduCare's Basic Food Hygiene Level 2 online training is specifically designed for everyone involved in food preparation and serving. It contains essential information on all aspects of food hygiene including contamination, food-borne illnesses, effective hygiene, and meets CIEH (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health) standards.
You can deliver Basic Food Hygiene training online to all your staff for only £41.50 per learner, with bulk discounts available.
Visit the Basic Food Hygiene product page by clicking here.
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