Microwave Popcorn Review

Introduction to Microwave Popcorn

September 4, 2007 was a dark day for the microwave popcorn industry. That was the day a blogger publicized the diagnosis of an obscure but serious disease -- bronchiolitis obliterans -- in a man who claimed to have made and eaten two packets of microwave popcorn every day for a number of years. The story was picked up by newspapers and TV shows across the country, and later that month, in the glare of publicity, the major manufacturers of microwave popcorn promised to replace or eliminate the offending ingredient.

That ingredient is called "diacetyl," and you can be forgiven for not knowing what it is: a chemical that mimics the flavor of butter. This isn't the first time diacetyl has been in the news; for over 20 years, researchers have suspected that this artificial flavoring causes lung damage when inhaled in large quantities. According to a timeline developed in 2000 by the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, ten employees at a microwave popcorn plant in Missouri were diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans. Despite an investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, workers continued to get sick. (You can see a copy of the SKAPP timeline of these events online; see our Best Research section for a link.)

It took the recent illness of a popcorn consumer to propel the issue of diacetyl into the national spotlight, even though a number of factory workers have long been thought to have been affected. As of May 2008, microwave popcorn containing diacetyl is disappearing from store shelves since Conagra, General Mills and other major manufacturers have already replaced this ingredient. Depending on how stores manage their inventories, it's possible that older packages of microwave popcorn containing diacetyl may still be stocked on shelves, but stores with high turnover should no longer have any of the old popcorn on shelves. We checked with Conagra (which manufacturers Orville Redenbacher and Act II popcorn) as well as General Mills (Pop Secret) to confirm that their products are no longer made with added diacetyl. Smart Balance popcorn doesn't contain added diacetyl either.

So where does this change leave us in terms of microwave popcorn reviews? Ironically, the one publication that might be expected to sound the alarm about diacetyl -- Consumer Reports -- ran its last major comparative review of microwave popcorns in September of 2007, so it doesn't address the diacetyl controversy. Other comparative reviews were written before March 2007, or are undated altogether.

Clearly, one of the reasons manufacturers have used diacetyl for so long is that it's very good at doing what it does -- mimicking the flavor of butter. The new formulations for Orville Redenbacher and Pop Secret may well wind up tasting somewhat different than they used to. We haven't yet found a major comparison review that tests the newest formulas without added diacetyl, but we'll keep checking for new comparisons. In the meanwhile, we've stuck with the results of the older taste tests. Newman's Own Organics and Smart Balance popcorns have never contained this additive, so even older reviews of these brands are still valid.

Besides Consumer Reports, we found the best reviews of microwave popcorn at major magazines like Cook's Illustrated, Health, Real Simple and Men's Fitness, which offer picks in various categories (organic, low-fat, movie-style, etc.) We were also impressed by the popcorn roundup at Boston.com (the online component of the Boston Globe), as well as comparative reviews from both sides of the living room -- Audio/Video Revolution (TV enthusiasts who like to eat popcorn) and TotallyPopcorn.com (popcorn enthusiasts who like to watch TV.)