Well, according to a new study, YES, you can get away with swooping up food you drop with the five-second rule . . . and for some stuff, you can wait even longer.
Researchers at Aston University in England found that if you drop something WET or STICKY, like a donut or a fork full of spaghetti, you have to grab it as quickly as possible before it absorbs bacteria and isn't safe to eat.
But if you drop something hard and dry, like a cookie or a potato chip, take your time. Maybe walk the dog, watch a YouTube video or two, power out a few tweets . . . and THEN get back to eating it.
They found you when you drop hard, dry foods, you're pretty much safe as long as you eat them off the floor within a HALF HOUR.