Eating food from the floor: The riks of illness

Bacteria travel through moisture. Wet food like watermelon will pick up the most bacteria, while less sticky food like gummy candies picks up the least. Regarding the surface, carpet has a lower rate of bacteria transfer to food than other surfaces.

The risk of illness from eating food that has fallen on the floor will depend on factors such as prevalence, concentration and type of organism, moisture of the food, the nature of the surface, and the length of time the food was in contact with the surface.