CINEPLEX
Your classic movie theatre popcorn has long been popped with coconut oil, then drizzled with some heart-stopping butter simulants. After coconut oil got a bad rep as a saturated fat, Cineplex reportedly switched to popping its kernels in non-hydrogenated canola oil (ironic, since coconut oil is now heralded in some circles as a super-food). Poured on top is liquid margarine made of hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated soybean oil and canola oil and artificial flavours. The problem: most North American soy and canola is genetically modified to be herbicide-resistant. All that continent-wide weed-killing has led to a massive increase in the use of herbicides containing the likely human carcinogen glyphosate. Research is finding that all that glyphosate is eradicating the milkweed on which threatened monarch butterflies depend for survival, contributing to their decline. Surprise twist: to date, all popcorn on the market comes from a non-GMO variety of corn.
SCORE: N
ORVILLE REDENBACHER/ACT II
My family was big on microwaved popcorn until my parents got an air popper in the 90s. Of course, we had no idea that back then – and until just a few years ago – microwave popcorn bags were lined with PFOA, a highly persistent chemical that lodges itself in our fatty tissues. And who knew the diacetyl in butter flavouring releases seriously lung-damaging vapours (ditto for the 2,4 pentanedione in there)? The good news is that Orville Redenbacher (and ACT II) ditched all three chems a few years ago. Parent org ConAgra has also vowed to green up its palm oil by the end of the year to make sure it’s deforestation-free. Still, these brands do use conventional (albeit non-GMO) pesticide-sprayed popcorn as well as lot of junky oils like partially hydrogenated soybean and canola oil that are highly genetically modified (see Cineplex), as well artificial flavours and colours.
SCORE: N
SMARTFOOD
The smarter way to eat popcorn, or so they tell us – free of artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and with “real cheddar.” However, just like the other guys, SmartFood uses heavily genetically modified oils (corn and canola). Its Movie Theatre Butter contains “natural butter type flavour” and corn-derived additive maltodextrin powder. The company brags it uses 100 per cent whole-grain corn from the whole kernel, but the U.S.-based Popcorn Board (yes, it exists) says all popcorn is whole-grain. You’d be better off with Non-GMO Project-verified Skinny Pop popcorn.
SCORE: NN
NEAL BROTHERS
Canada’s own Neal Brothers’ products aren’t all organic or even non-GMO, but its popcorn is. Its Original Pink Salt popcorn is made with certified organic Canadian corn, certified organic sunflower oil and Himalayan salt. Its cheddar flavour is basically an organic version of SmartFood. Pesticide-free, yes, but wolf back a whole bag during a particularly captivating flick and you’ll be taking in 44 grams of fat. Just sayin.’ Also, it loses a point for coming in a non-recyclable bag when the product is easily made at home sans packaging.
SCORE: NNNN
OAK MANOR/PASSION POPCORN
The top of the crop. Both brands offer pop-it-yourself certified organic popping corn grown locally, with no added oils or flavours. Nature’s Way Passion Popcorn is harvested, dried and bagged on the company’s own farm just 150 kilometres from Toronto, and is available at health stores and farmer-direct at the Brick Works farmers’ market (naturesorganics.ca). Oak Manor’s organic corn is mostly grown in Ontario, though it’s sometimes topped up with U.S. imports when they’re short (available at Loblaws, major health stores and online at oakmanor.ca). If you pop this stuff using the stovetop method, use a local organic high-oleic sunflower oil or fair trade coconut oil. Then you’ll really get popcorn that wins feel-good movie snack of the year.
SCORE: NNNNN
