Who needs to make this choice?

Families who want to control added fat

If you’re serving popcorn for a holiday lunch, making it yourself from popcorn kernels lets you choose what to add and how much. It does take time and needs supervision.

Families short on preparation time

Ready-to-eat popcorn can be packed for a lunchbox or a day out without any heating. Microwave popcorn, on the other hand, needs to be prepared according to the pack instructions before eating.

Households that need to check ingredients and allergens

For sweet or flavoured varieties, it’s worth checking the ingredients list and allergen information on the specific pack. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity explains that certain allergenic ingredients must be declared on packaged foods.

What should you look for when buying?

Make your own popcorn from kernels

A good choice if: you want to decide what to add to the popcorn for a holiday lunch.

Bear in mind: you’ll need a pan or another suitable appliance, time to prepare it and someone to supervise.

Ready-to-eat bagged popcorn

A good choice if: you want to take or serve popcorn without having to prepare it.

Bear in mind: the ingredients are already set, so compare the nutritional information for different varieties.

Microwave popcorn

A good choice if: you want freshly made popcorn and have a suitable microwave.

Bear in mind: the bag must be heated according to the instructions and supervised; hot steam can escape when you open it.

Criteria What to check Who should pay particular attention?
Fat content Check the fat per 100 g in comparable popcorn varieties. Don’t assume a product is ‘reduced fat’ just because its figure is lower than another product’s. I mainly want to control how much fat is added to the popcorn, and I can make it myself. For around 42% of consumers, controlling fat is the main consideration when buying.
Preparation Choose between a ready-to-eat pack and preparation according to the appliance and pack instructions. I have very little time to prepare a lunchbox, so the popcorn needs to be ready to eat or quick to make. This is the top priority for around 33% of consumers.
Ingredients Check the sugar, salt and saturated fat per 100 g, as well as the ingredients and allergen information on the specific pack. I need to know what’s in sweet or flavoured popcorn before choosing it for my family. This check comes first for around 25% of consumers.

Which common misconceptions can you avoid?

  • Assuming ‘less fat’ means ‘low fat’

    A single lower fat value doesn’t prove either of these pack claims. The European Commission sets a limit of no more than 3 g of fat per 100 g for the ‘low fat’ claim on solid foods. A ‘reduced fat’ claim requires a suitable comparison with similar products.

    Check the exact wording on the pack. To help you choose, you can compare fat values per 100 g within the same product type, without assuming that this qualifies as an approved nutrition claim.

  • Comparing only the fat content of sweet popcorn

    EDEKA24 lists Werther’s Original Popcorn Salted Caramel as containing 15.4 g of fat, but also 48 g of sugar, 9.2 g of saturated fat and 2.7 g of salt per 100 g. So a fat comparison alone won’t answer all your questions when choosing popcorn for lunch.

    For sweet varieties, compare the sugar, saturated fat and salt using the same serving basis too.

  • Assuming microwave popcorn is automatically lower in fat

    Heimatgut Bio Mikrowellen-Popcorn süß, listed by REWE, contains 22 g of fat per 100 g. The preparation method alone doesn’t tell you whether a variety contains less fat.

    Check the nutritional information before you buy, and follow the pack instructions when heating and opening the bag.

Brands and product ranges to help you choose

Heimatgut

Organic popcorn available as a ready-to-eat sweet variety and as sweet microwave popcorn.

  • REWE lists Bio Popcorn Süß as containing 17 g of fat and 28 g of sugar per 100 g; Bio Mikrowellen-Popcorn süß contains 22 g of fat and 20 g of sugar per 100 g.
  • These figures alone don’t justify classifying either variety as ‘reduced fat’.

Werther’s Original

Popcorn Salted Caramel is a sweet-and-salty caramelised variety.

  • EDEKA24 lists this variety as containing 15.4 g of fat per 100 g.
  • EDEKA24 also lists 48 g of sugar, 9.2 g of saturated fat and 2.7 g of salt per 100 g. The product information also lists milk and soya, and possible traces of nuts and wheat.

Lorenz

The Pommels Original considered here are a potato snack, not popcorn.

  • The nutritional values of this Lorenz product therefore aren’t a suitable basis for comparing claims that popcorn is ‘reduced fat’.

Popcorn products at Joybuy

Suitable products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

When can popcorn be labelled ‘low fat’?

For solid popcorn, the ‘low fat’ claim requires no more than 3 g of fat per 100 g, as the European Commission explains for solid foods. ‘Reduced fat’ is a different claim. It can’t be justified just because a product contains less fat than one other type of popcorn.

Do allergens have to be listed on packaged popcorn?

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity explains that certain allergenic ingredients must be declared on packaged foods. Check both the ingredients list and any ‘may contain’ information on the specific popcorn pack: ingredients and possible traces are not the same thing.

What should families bear in mind with microwave popcorn?

Prepare microwave popcorn under supervision, following the power and timing instructions on the specific pack. REWE warns that hot steam and fat may escape when opening Heimatgut Bio Mikrowellen-Popcorn süß, so take care when opening the hot bag.