For a school lunchbox, neither a label such as “light” on the packet nor making popcorn at home is decisive on its own. Compare fat, sugar and salt per 100 g across similar types of popcorn, then portion out a small amount. With popcorn kernels, you can choose the ingredients yourself, but you’ll need to allow for any added oil and the preparation time. With packaged popcorn, the nutrition information makes it easier to compare products.
You want to choose popcorn for a school lunchbox without relying on a label such as “light”. Compare the fat content per 100 g across similar types of popcorn, and remember to factor in any oil or butter you add when making it at home.
You’re looking for a crunchy snack, but you don’t want to base your choice on fat content alone. For sweet or salty popcorn, the nutrition information and ingredients list can help you assess the recipe.
You want to pack a small portion without any fuss. Check whether the product is ready to eat: popcorn kernels and microwave popcorn need to be prepared before break time.
First decide whether you want to make popcorn yourself or portion out a ready-made product. For comparing nutritional values, check the information for the snack as eaten and consider how much will actually go into the lunchbox.
| What matters | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Fat content | Compare fat per 100 g across similar types of popcorn; remember to factor in any oil or butter added to popcorn kernels. | If I want to pack less fat, I need to look at the finished snack, not just the value for unpopped kernels. Around 42% of consumers would consider fat content a priority. |
| Sugar and salt | Check the sugar and salt per 100 g, as well as the ingredients list; compare sweet varieties with sweet ones and salty varieties with salty ones. | A lower fat value isn’t much help when choosing if I overlook the sugar or salt in a sweet or salty variety. Around 33% of consumers would make this their main consideration. |
| Preparation and portion size | Ready to eat or needs preparing? Check how much you can portion out before school. | When there’s little time in the morning, I need a snack I can prepare in time and pack in a small portion. Around 25% of consumers would consider this practicality their top priority. |
For sweet or salty popcorn, fat content alone doesn’t tell you how the other nutritional values measure up.
For similar products, compare sugar and salt per 100 g too, and check the ingredients list.
Lidl’s instructions for making popcorn from kernels also include oil; other additions will affect the nutritional make-up of the finished snack.
Decide which ingredients you’ll add before you start, rather than treating the nutritional values for the kernels as the same as those for the finished popcorn.
A popped potato and rice snack such as funny-frisch popchips isn’t made from popcorn kernels. The word “popped” doesn’t make the two products comparable.
Treat these snacks as a separate product category and check their nutritional information independently.
With a large bag, it’s less clear how much you’re packing for break time. The Verbraucherzentrale recommends a small daily portion of sweets and snacks.
Measure out the portion in advance into a container or separate bag.
The brands below offer examples of different ways to prepare and enjoy snacks. Not every product mentioned is popcorn or marketed as a lower-fat option.
Lidl’s guide to making popcorn at home uses popcorn kernels with a choice of seasonings, sweeteners and oil.
According to funny-frisch, popchips Red Paprika Style is a popped potato and rice snack, not popcorn.
According to its own product page, Lorenz also offers Saltletts PausenCracker in a 40-g on-the-go format.
Here you’ll mainly find popcorn kernels to prepare and portion yourself, as well as sweet popcorn that needs to be prepared before packing. If you’re aiming to eat “less fat”, compare the information for each product and remember to factor in any ingredients you add to popcorn kernels.
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If you want to choose the ingredients for your school portion yourself, you can prepare these popcorn kernels at home and portion them out afterwards.
The pack is labelled 500 g. Remember to include any added oil when assessing the finished popcorn.
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This sweet popcorn could work if you’re able to prepare and portion it before school.
The pack is labelled 120 g and the product needs to be prepared in the microwave. When choosing, compare the sugar per 100 g as well as the fat content; the full pack isn’t the same as a school portion.
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These popcorn kernels are a good fit if you want to choose the ingredients for your lunchbox portion yourself and have time to prepare them.
The product name lists 500 g; check the pack size for the specific option before buying. Any oil used in preparation will change the nutritional values of the finished popcorn.
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These unpopped kernels are an option if you want to make popcorn for a school lunchbox yourself and choose what to add.
The product name lists 900 g; check the pack size against the specific option. Factor in any oil you add when preparing the popcorn, rather than applying the nutritional values for the kernels to the finished snack.
No. When choosing popcorn for a school lunchbox, check the nutrition information. Compare fat, sugar and salt per 100 g with similar types of popcorn, and check whether the figures are for the product as eaten.
No. The ingredients and the amounts you use also affect the nutritional make-up of the finished popcorn. Lidl’s instructions for preparing popcorn kernels include oil too; remember that added butter and other extras shouldn’t be counted as part of the kernels alone.
Measure out a small amount before school rather than packing the whole bag. The Verbraucherzentrale recommends keeping to a small daily portion of sweets and snacks overall; it doesn’t specify a set gram amount for popcorn in particular.