Blowing out the candles on a birthday cake is one of the things that people (especially kids) look forward to when the day comes around. This is followed of course by the cutting of the cake and the eating of the cake.
But an assistant professor from Saint Louis University has reportedly said that letting children carry on the tradition isn’t a good idea.
Donna Duberg told Men’s Health that youngsters are “virtual petri dishes of everything” and letting them essentially blow on food that other people are about to eat only serves to spread germs and bacteria.
This does make sense when you think about it and is backed up by a study carried out by a team at Clemson University which found that the practice does significantly increase the amount of bacteria found in the icing.
Duberg recommended that parents give kids their own mini cake (or a cupcake) that can be used for the candle bit without potentially contaminating food which their nearest and dearest are going to eat.
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