Mythbusters did it. What mattered was the surface of the food. Non sticky was fine. Sticky/wet was instantly contaminated.

No

If you’re serving it to others, No.

Eating it yourself, and you’re not a germophobe, and you keep a reasonably clean home, sure.

I would have to guess before reading the article that upon instant contact with the filthy ground a bunch of bacteria and dirt will adhere to the food making it inedible.

OOC: Although, Dwight Shrute would probably say that it is what separates those with good immune systems--the ones that eat off the floor using said rule, from those who do not.

This is just something you tell your kids, so that you don't have to cook them a whole new hotdog, after they dropped theirs before taking even one bite, and now they're crying.

"It's fine, sweety! Just brush off the dirt."

My little brother got worms from eating off the floor when I was a kid. I will eat food off my clothes and body but never, ever off the floor.

Slow health news day?

It's the law. Germs aren't allowed to touch your food for 5 seconds.

I thought it was a ten second rule