Buttery Popcorn Contains Toxic Chemical

This looks like a day for nasty product news. MSNBC reports that buttery flavoring (used for popcorn) has been linked to lung disease. The chemical is diacetyl, which has been linked to a rare life-threatening disease often called popcorn lung. A rather gross name, I know, but that’s what they call it.

Here’s the lowdown on this chemical in butter-flavored popcorn:

Even though the chemical occurs naturally in foods like butter, cheese and fruits, and is FDA-approved as a flavoring, it has been linked to the disease among popcorn plant workers.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that consumers are not at any significant risk from the chemical. This will probably be reviewed since Denver’s National Jewish Medical and Research Center reported what they say is the first case of a consumer developing the disease from microwaving popcorn at home. The patient was said to microwave popcorn several times a day for 10 years and deliberately inhaled the fumes as the popcorn came out of the microwave.

ConAgra Foods Inc., General Mills Inc. and the American Pop Corn Company, makers of Orville Redenbacher, Act II, Pop Secret and Jolly Time, are set to make changes in their buttery popcorn recipes. Jiffy Pop, made by ConAgra, will not be affected as it is made with natural butter instead of diacetyl. Weaver Popcorn Co. has announced last week that it will make similar changes.

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What I don’t understand is how they can downplay the risk to consumers, now that it has been linked to the disease in a non-plant worker. What are they going to say, that it’s OK to consume the product, only don’t do it more than once a day and don’t inhale the fumes?

What do you think? Is this news significant enough for you to cut down on microwave popcorn?

via MSNBC

Tags: microwave popcorn, diacetyl, buttered popcorn, safety at home