Anyone daring enough to eat food off the floor (aka, everyone in the world) can rejoice this evening, as scientists have discovered that the five second rule may actually be legit. 

Germ expert Professor Anthony Hilton from Aston University has said that retrieving those delicious dropped morsels from the floor actually isn't as bad as you might think. 

While it will never be socially acceptable to eat that piece of pepperoni that slipped off your pizza and onto the floor, the experts stand behind the five second rule. 

“Food covered in visible dirt shouldn't be eaten, but as long as it's not obviously contaminated, the science shows that food is unlikely to have picked up harmful bacteria from a few seconds spent on an indoor floor," he said. 

“That is not to say that germs can't transfer from the floor to the food."

“Eating food that has spent a few moments on the floor can never be entirely risk-free," said the scientist, who will present his findings at The Big Bang Science Fair in Birmingham this week. 

“Our research has shown that the nature of the floor surface, the type of food dropped on the floor and the length of time it spends on the floor can all have an impact on the number that can transfer.”

The research was inspired by a survey of 2,000 people which found 79 per cent of people eat food that has been dropped on the floor.

At least now we can say five second rule and mean it!