Dropped some food on the floor? You might be wondering if it’s safe to eat it (or if you’re definitely eating a mouthful of E. coli).
You’re certainly not alone in your musings about these kinds of dirty food questions. We’ve rounded up five of them we know you’ve been dying to ask (including the real answer behind the age old five second rule).
1. Can you eat food off the floor?
It’s complicated. One study shows that it doesn’t matter if you pick your food off the floor immediately, it will still gather bacteria. Yet studies also show kitchen benches are much dirtier, and we still eat off those.
The possibility of picking up a bad bug from the floor is always there, but you’re more likely catch something off the surface of your mobile phone. Most of the time you don’t, because you have an immune system that actually benefits from a little dirt here and there.
2. Can you eat food past the best before date?
Yes! As long as they aren’t damaged or perished, stores can legally sell foods after the best-before date (note: this is different to the use by date). Non-perishables like cereals and biscuits may lose nutritional quality over time, but let’s face it, they’re not that nutritious anyway!
3. Can you refreeze meat?
Yes! According to the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service, it’s safe to refreeze food as long as you let it thaw out in a cold fridge (for a maximum of two days).
However, thawing food at room temperature or in the microwave can foster bacteria, which is not safe to put back in the freezer.
4. Can you eat unwashed vegetables?
We prefer to wash our produce because bacteria like E.coli, listeria and salmonella do live in the soil. Don’t worry too much though – cooking at high temperatures will kill most of these bugs.
If you’re not buying organic, there is the issue of chemical residues from pesticides. We would always give these a good run under the tap.
5. Can you eat green potatoes?
If your potatoes have a sickly tinge and have started sprouting, they may have degraded and started to produce a poisonous chemical called solanine. High levels of solanine in potatoes have made people very sick and even caused fatalities.
So, should you throw those ‘toes? Maybe not. It’s recommended to cut away the green part and taste test the unseasoned potato for bitterness. If it’s not bitter, it should be okay.
Fess up: would you eat food off the floor?
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