Dangerous chemical used in Microwave Popcorn

[gunug]

Man, this is getting serious!  

http://angrytoxicologist.com/?p=28

QUOTE

Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D) has introduced a bill to ban diacetyl use by 2010. The chemical is an artificial butter flavoring most commonly used in microwave popcorn. Numerous study have found links between the chemical used by flavor workers and a rare disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. For those of you who aren’t 2000 yr old Romans, that means that the bronchioles and some of the smaller bronchi are obliterated by masses made up of fiberous tissue. It’s like sticking marbles into the networks of tubes in your lung that connect fresh air to the alveoli, the little sacs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged with the blood.

[Mayo]

When we got our microwave (about ten years after everyone else... we're rather slow when it comes to acquiring new consumer goodies) I went out and bought a bunch of different brands of microwave popcorn.  It sure was convenient and made the entire house smell like a movie theatre, but then I read the ingredients... Oh My, What Garbage Americans Will Put In Their Mouths!

So I dumped the remaining bags of toxic waste and purchased a Presto PowerPop. It is a popcorn popper that is designed to work in a microwave.  It cost between $15-$20.  The PowerPop comes with a package of PowerCup "microwave concentrators" that improve the popping efficiency; they are round cardboard thingies with embedded metal rings that sit in the bottom of the popper.  You can use the PowerPop without them, but they really do decrease the number of unpopped kernels to near zero, so the minimal ongoing replacement cost is worth it in my opinion.  They last for multiple uses, particularly if you don't use oil with them.

The difference in cost between using the PowerPop and microwave popcorn is dramatic, so the PowerPop pays for itself in a short period of time. We recently stopped using Orville Redenbacher's popcorn after I discovered that ConAgra owns the brand (we try to avoid supporting monopolistic multi-national food corporations in our house...) so we switched to organic popcorn from our local food co-op. Now we are 100% organic... Sorry Orville, wherever you are!

[sandbox]

They say it's going to kill-ya but they don't say when.  
http://www.osha.gov/dts/sltc/methods/parti...8/t-pv2118.html

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Mayo @ May 8 2007, 10:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

When we got our microwave (about ten years after everyone else... we're rather slow when it comes to acquiring new consumer goodies)

We still don't have a microwave.  

I am the popcorn lover here and I have a Presto HotAir popper. No oil, no junk. Came with a coupon for Orville's kernels, so I bought a container. It tastes stale!    So now I buy JollyTime.   I just store it in a plastic container. I can melt butter on the stove, or not - depends on my mood.

QUOTE

so we switched to organic popcorn from our local food co-op.

I'll have to watch the farmer's market and see if anyone has any for sale.

[Mayo]

You know what I miss?  The multi-color popcorn that was around when I was a kid... (Good Gawd, Me Thinks That I Am Beginning To Sound Like My Parents!) All those colors had to be artificial and probably toxic to boot, but it sure was neat looking to a nine year old...

Is Jiffy Pop still around?  I think we had it one or two times and then my mom said that it was just too darn expensive compared to popping the stuff in a pot on the stove (my Dad's Specialty). It was the microwave popcorn of the 60s... But it sure looked cool when the aluminum bag expanded with popped corn.

My wife and I have discussed ditching the microwave... We use it relatively little since we generally don't eat processed food. (Everything cooked from scratch around here!)  We used to heat water in it until we purchased an electric kettle after a trip to Europe where we used the energy-efficient appliances in the flats we rented in Amsterdam. Now the microwave is used for reheating, defrosting frozen left-overs and, of course, popcorn.  If we could find a workable substitute for the first two things, we would likely dump the microwave.

[Paddy]

Microwave popcorn is nasty. My son brought home a bag yesterday and it made the entire house smell like...microwave popcorn. Very strong palm-oil scent (reminded me a lot of coconut suntan oil - ew...) Couldn't get the smell out of the microwave either. The stuff is loaded with salt and weird chemicals.

We've got a hot air popper and love it. Just add a dash of salt - very occasionally some melted butter.

I love my microwave - we don't cook convenience foods either, but I use it a lot for cooking my oatmeal/hot cereal in the morning, tea/cocoa, cooking some vegetables - not all microwave well, and reheating just about everything. Life would be a lot less convenient without it!

[Gregg]

I haven't seen Jiffy Pop in years! We did it in the pan on the stove too, of course. This was before microwaves. The smell of it burning on the bottom of the pan if you overcooked it was just as bad as the microwave version.

Thanks for the link. I'm checking it out. I don't eat popcorn, but the rest of the family does.

[Paddy]

Guess we all haven't been looking hard enough. Seems Jiffy Pop is still around!

http://www.conagrafoods.com/brands/jiffy_pop/index.jsp

Of course, ConAgra is one of the biggest monopolies around...

And, of course I should have known - Amazon carries it - $25.80 for 24 packs and free shipping.

[kimmer]

I admit (to my shame I guess) that I don't know anything about ConAgra ... but I just looked and they are "Hunts" and "Dennisons". My easy chili and my favorite canned mater products. They also sell ... Big Mama Sausage! Oh. My. Word! Has anyone seen these things?!?!?! They are hot sellers at a local market. Most disgusting looking things I've ever seen. I have to go have a giggle fit ...

QUOTE

Big Mama Sausage
   

Big Mama Sausage

Big Mama and her spicy sister, Tijuana Mama are the largest pickled sausages on the market. They offer a big, bold taste for consumers looking for a hearty snack. Big Mama is available in a pickled flavor and a smoked, non-pickled flavor. Tijuana Mama boasts "300% hotter," ensuring consumers looking for a HOT snack won't be disappointed! All varieties are sold in a single serve pouch.

[Gregg]

QUOTE(kimmer @ May 8 2007, 10:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Big Mama Sausage

I love sausage, and I love hot!

I met my match when my wife made Firey Hot Linguini, with chipolte peppers and some hot spice I can't recall. We called the fire department.

[Xairbusdriver]

Pick your 'monopolies' carefully. You're most likely using a computer made by absolutely nobody but Apple! And don't waste too much time looking for a cheaper price anywhere, they rule the supply chain with an iron high-strength steel fist.

[kimmer]

QUOTE(Gregg @ May 9 2007, 04:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I love sausage, and I love hot!

Good sausage -- yes; BigMama -- NO!

Have you seen these?

The ones at the local market aren't individually packed, they are floating in liquid and it's red and it's about the most disgusting site I've ever seen.

Maybe I should buy a jar and put it on my counter. It would keep me from eating. Great diet incentive.

[krissel]

My microwave is my savior. I virtually make all my food in it. Only exceptions are Angel Food cake and some homemade soups.

Seriously, veggies cooked in the micro are are and if you like shrimp you really ought to try microwaving them in water. Almost like boiling but oh so much tastier and not tough (don't add anything to the water...no salt!)

Recall reading recently about 'popcorn lung' but it mostly was concerning the workers in the factories.

To note:

QUOTE

Diacetyl is a naturally occurring chemical in bay and other oils, beer, butter, coffee, vinegar, and other food products.

[Gregg]

Except for the "other food products" I don't have anything to worry about.

Well, there might be vinegar in some things I eat, and rarely I will have real butter...

[Parker]

good thing i hate buttered popcorn