Eating food you've dropped on the floor is seen to be okay by many, as long as you eat it within five seconds.
We've all been there. As long as you "five second rule" it, it's still good - right?
The theory is that if food dropped on the floor is picked up quickly enough, it's safe to eat.
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Where it came from is unclear, but it certainly isn't based on science.
Dr Ronald Cutler, a microbiologist from Queen Mary, University of London, did an experiment to find out whether there’s any science behind the five second rule.
His trial involved dropping pieces of pizza, apple and buttered toast on different surfaces artificially contaminated with E. coli - a bacteria that causes food poisoning.
The various samples were either picked up immediately, or after five or 10 seconds. Worryingly, Dr Cutler then found that each sample was heavily contaminated.
Dr Cutler said: “The five-second rule has little effect on the amount of bacteria you would pick up from a heavily contaminated surface.
"Think about this, if you drop food on a floor, it's better to put it in the bin rather than your mouth. No matter if it’s at home on the carpet, the kitchen floor or in the street, my advice is if you drop it, chuck it."
According to the NHS, around a million people suffer a food-related illness each year in the UK. Of these, about 20,000 require hospital treatment and up to 500 may die as a result.
The NHS advises people to avoid illness by washing their hands, and preparing and cooking food properly.
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