Popcorn makers respond health concerns
OMAHA, Neb. - Popcorn hasn't gotten much good health news lately. Consumer and government warnings about salt, carbohydrates and the type of fat found in microwave popcorn - essentially, all the ingredients in the popular snack food - have put the heat on.
But issues that may cause headaches for manufacturers are bringing new choices to consumers. Healthy options, even.
Manufacturers - including the largest, ConAgra Foods Inc. - have responded to public concerns about fat, salt and carbohydrates with new flavors, ingredients and package sizes.
"If you're a good businessman, you've got to be concerned about these issues,'' said Dan Malovany, editor of Snack Food and Wholesale Bakery magazine, "but you're also looking for opportunities there.''
Beginning in 2006, food companies must list the trans fat content of all packaged foods, the Food and Drug Administration ruled earlier this year.
Microwave popcorn contains hydrogenated oil. Adding hydrogen to oil (hydrogenation) makes it solid at room temperature - a must for microwave popcorn if the oil is to stay in the bag. But hydrogenation also creates trans fat, which has been linked to hardening of the arteries, clogged arteries and diabetes.
"Producers need to worry about it a lot, because consumers worry about it a lot,'' said Ann Grandjean, executive director for the Center for Human Nutrition in Omaha, though she said trans fats are less dangerous than general overeating and can be safe in moderation.
Also this year, the federal Department of Health and Human Services released new dietary guidelines that lowered recommended salt consumption to 2,300 milligrams per day. High salt consumption has been linked to high blood pressure.
A typical one cup serving of popped microwave popcorn contains 300 to 400 milligrams of sodium. A single bag of microwave popcorn comes close to the one-day limit for one person.
In addition to government action, the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets has affected popcorn sales. A typical serving of microwave popcorn contains between 15 and 30 grams of carbs.
Ann Wilkes, spokeswoman for the Snack Food Association, said low-carbohydrate diets likely caused a slide in popcorn sales over the past year.
Others in the industry, including Frank Lynch, vice president for marketing of ConAgra's popcorn products, echoed that sentiment. But, Lynch added, fast growth in popcorn sales in the 1990s and this decade might have set the industry up for a temporary decline.
Sales of unpopped corn fell about 4 percent last year, and sales of popped corn fell 7 percent, according to market researcher ACNielsen.
Americans annually eat 17 billion quarts of popcorn, or 54 quarts per person, according to the Popcorn Board. The annual market for microwave popcorn alone is $621 million.
Sales of low-carb nuts and pork rinds have increased (although sales of crackers and potato chips, which also are high in carbohydrates, also increased).
Now popcorn companies are fighting back with new products that cater to health-conscious consumers.
ConAgra, which has removed trans fat from its margarine lines, has done the same with some of its popcorn brands.
Smart Balance, Newman's Own and Bearitos are some of the other brands that now come in varieties free of trans fat.
Microwave popcorn still needs oil to pop, and the oil needs to be hydrogenated to stay in the bag, but ConAgra has managed to remove enough oil so that the amount on the corn after popping contains a negligible amount of trans fat, Lynch said.
The company's Orville Redenbacher, Act II and Healthy Choice popcorns all have versions without trans fat, and those account for 15 percent to 20 percent of ConAgra's popcorn sales, said Lynch. He said he expects that percentage to grow along with concerns about trans fat.
"Popcorn's probably been a little more challenging over the past year,'' Lynch said.
American Pop Corn Co. of Sioux City, Iowa, the third-largest popcorn company, has been making its trans fat-free Healthy Pop line since 1997. The company now is working on replacing hydrogenated oil in its other lines - though the company's top-selling flavor still is Blast O Butter.
Lynch said that as popcorn makers remove trans fats from their products, they are adding varieties, such as salty-sweet kettle corn, that don't draw their flavor from a lot of butter.
Kettle corn and other new sweet popcorn flavors often include sucralose (Splenda) instead of sugar to reduce calories. Jolly Time's Healthy Pop Caramel Apple, for example, is made with Splenda and has 110 calories per serving, about one-third less than butter-flavored varieties.
Popcorn makers said they have seen no consumer backlash against popcorn salt, but some do produce salt-free popcorn, including small brands Bearitos, Black Jewell and Diet Delight.
Each has less than 300 milligrams of sodium per serving, as does Healthy Choice popcorn, compared with more than 400 milligrams for most other flavors.
Popcorn makers also can take heart in a recent study by food industry research firm NPD Foodworld showing that the number of people on low-carb diets peaked at 9.1 percent in January 2004 and declined to 3.6 percent in November.
"Popcorn is not a bad carbohydrate,'' said Grandjean. "It's a whole grain, and it can be very healthy.''
Popcorn is a whole grain because, unlike milled corn, it retains its hull. Whole grains cut the risk of heart disease and diabetes and can promote weight loss.
ConAgra and General Mills, maker of Pop Secret, both said they plan to emphasize popcorn's benefits as a whole grain in future packaging and public relations. Whole grains, too, can now be listed on food packaging, under a recent change in FDA rules. Popcorn is one of the few foods that can include the claim.
"Calories and fat in popcorn come from the oil,'' said Garry Smith, president of American Pop Corn. "Popcorn by itself is very healthy.''
http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde.../56-popcorn.inc
Popcorn makers respond health concerns
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