Make Your Own Organic, Chemical-Free Microwave Popcorn

Thursday is green:eats day, when we give you tips for healthier, more eco-friendly eating.

The past few days have seen leading microwave popcorn producers, such as Reddenbacher, Pop Weaver, and Act II, changing their popcorn recipes to remove the chemical additive diacetyl, which is what gives most microwave popcorn that buttery flavor and aroma. Diacetyl has long been suspected of causing lung disease in factory workers, but the story that a man who ate microwave popcorn every day and developed “popcorn lung” as a result finally spurred the industry to act.

So diacetyl will be gone, but there are still plenty other chemicals in microwave popcorn. Why risk it? Make your own organic, chemical-free popcorn, and it’ll taste better and be healthier for you. You can find organic popping corn at many health food and Whole Foods-type stores. Follow these instructions from Instructables  to make a batch of your own microwave popcorn. You’ll be enjoying your movie in buttery, salty, chemical-free goodness in no time!