Eat the Finest Organic Popcorn

I LOVE popcorn. My kids do too. Actually, even one of my dogs loves popcorn. For me it's genetic: I'm part Native American and popcorn was a staple of our ancestral diet. (Growing up in the Midwest in the 1970's watching Laverne and Shirley and The Night Stalker, it was a staple of mine, too.) So when the sad news came out a few months back about popcorn lung and all the rather negative side effects of frequently inhaling nuked popcorn from the microwave (effects including Emphysema and death), I switched back to the slightly less convenient, but actually much more satisfying stove-top variety. PFOA or perfluorooctanoic acid is the chemical used in Teflon pans to make them non-stick. It's also in the coating lining microwave popcorn bags to keep the corn from sticking to the sides. This is especially important to know when consuming flavored and "buttered" microwave popcorn because PFOAs leach into the flavoring oil. Inhaling the PFOA-laden steam from microwave popcorn twice a day can put you or your kids at risk of bronchiolitis obliterans, or "popcorn lung." So switching to the stove top is a good idea.

I was Ignorant of this until my friend Robin O'Brien, founder of Allergy Kids, chastised me for feeding my kids (never mind myself) conventional popcorn, which meant--besides the obvious pesticide implications--it had a high chance of being Genetically Modified (GM) or made with Genetically Modified organisms (GMOs). In the US, upward of 70% of corn is changed on molecular level--in it's actual DNA--often to resist the application of powerful chemical herbicides that are sprayed to keep pesky interloping weeds at bay. These GM seeds and crops are sometimes called "Round-up Ready". Unlike consumers in other countries, you'll have no way of knowing if the popcorn (or other produce) you're happily munching while enjoying the Island of Doctor Moreau, or Children of the Corn is genetically modified, unless it's organic.

Organic-labeled foods do not allow Genetically Modified Organisms. And here's the best part: I have found the King of Corn, and his name is Farmer Steve. Steve owns and operates a small family farm in New Jersey that is primarily dedicated to growing the best frickin' organic corn (meant for popping) on the planet! You can get it the old fashioned way, or in PFOA-free microwave ready popcorn bags. I have sent it to swanky friends of mine, people who seek out and can afford the very best, and they rave about it like a fine wine. Note to butter lovers: Farmer Steve's popcorn comes in one finger lickin' variety--plain, that's because he wants you to melt your own, organic butter and drizzle it on. Most "butter" flavorings on commercial popcorn are made with margarine, which includes diacetyl. Diacetyl is also implicated in popcorn lung. So check it out, munch to your hearts content, turn on the Tivo and watch Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but don't get too frightened, you're pretty safe...as long as you're buying organic.

More information on Microwave Popcorn
Make Your Own Microwave Popcorn
Ask Treehugger: Microwave Popcorn and The Kernel of Truth
Microwave Popcorn: The Next Asbestos

Lynda Fassa is Planet Green's babies and family expert. She's the founder of Green Babies organic cotton baby clothes and the author of Green Babies, Sage Moms: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Baby, and the forthcoming Green Kids, Sage Families: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Your Organic Family, both from Penguin NAL. Read her previous posts here.

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