Ready-to-eat popcorn or popcorn popped at home is a good choice for your gym bag if you want a snack you can eat on the go without any preparation. Microwave popcorn is only suitable if you’ll have access to a microwave before eating it. To see whether an option fits your preferred energy intake, compare the nutritional information per 100 g with the portion you actually plan to eat. Sugar, fat and salt levels also vary by recipe.
If you’re packing popcorn as a snack for your gym bag and want to keep track of how much you eat, compare the energy figures per 100 g and for the portion you plan to have. The nutritional information also lists sugar and fat.
If you want to eat your snack straight from your bag, you’ll need ready-to-eat popcorn or some you’ve prepared before setting off. An unpopped microwave popcorn bag won’t do the job.
If you want to control how much oil, sugar, salt and seasoning you add, you can prepare popping corn before packing it. Just make sure you have the time and a suitable way to prepare it.
First, decide whether you need popcorn that’s ready to eat straight away when you’re out and about. Then compare the nutritional information for suitable products using the same basis, and think about how much you’ll actually pack and eat.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters most to |
|---|---|---|
| Energy and portion size | Compare energy in kcal per 100 g and factor in how much you plan to eat. Check sugar and fat per 100 g too. | If I only want to eat some of the pack, the portion I’ll actually have matters just as much as the figures I’m comparing. For around 45% of consumers, energy and portion size are the main considerations. |
| Ready to eat | Check whether the popcorn is already popped or needs to be prepared before you pack it. | I don’t want to have to find a microwave on the way or after my workout. For around 33% of consumers, being able to eat it straight away is the top priority. |
| Recipe and flavour | For sweet and savoury options, compare the sugar, salt and ingredients. | I want to choose a flavour without overlooking its recipe. Sugar, salt and ingredients are the deciding factors for around 22% of consumers. |
The recipe makes a difference: Chio lists 442 kcal per 100 g for Mikrowellen Popcorn Süß, while REWE gives 394 kcal per 100 g for Snackline Popcorn süß. The word ‘popcorn’ alone doesn’t tell you how much energy it contains.
Compare similar products per 100 g, then take into account how much you plan to eat.
Unpopped microwave popcorn needs to be prepared before you can eat it. Without a microwave, you can’t enjoy it straight from your gym bag.
For when you’re out and about, choose ready-to-eat popcorn or prepare popping corn before packing it.
Sugar is worth comparing too. REWE lists 30 g of sugar per 100 g for Snackline Popcorn süß. This figure applies to that specific product, not every sweet variety.
Check the energy, sugar and fat alongside the ingredients. For savoury options, the salt content matters too.
The German Federal Centre for Nutrition describes the Nutri-Score as a five-level guide to a food’s nutrient composition. It doesn’t show how much popcorn you’ll eat from a pack.
Compare similar products and check the nutritional information and ingredients as well when choosing a specific product.
Chio offers microwave popcorn. It’s only suitable as a gym bag snack once it’s been prepared.
Snackline Popcorn süß, listed by REWE, is ready to eat, so you can pack it as a snack without needing to prepare it.
The retailer’s product information lets you compare individual ready-to-eat popcorn varieties with options designed for the microwave.
For similar popcorn products, start by comparing the energy per 100 g, then consider how much you’ll actually eat. Also check the sugar, fat and salt in the nutritional information, as well as the ingredients.
No, microwave popcorn needs to be prepared first. If there won’t be a microwave available when you’re out, pack ready-to-eat popcorn or some you’ve popped before setting off instead.
No. You’ll need the information on the pack to check the energy, sugar, fat and salt, and work out what your planned portion contains. The Nutri-Score can offer extra guidance when comparing similar products, but it doesn’t replace the nutritional information or ingredients list.