Orville Redenbacher's Kettle Corn Microwave Popcorn vs Cheddar Blast Puffs: which is safer?
Pirate's Booty Cheddar Blast Puffs is the clear pick. Orville Redenbacher's Kettle Corn Microwave Popcorn carries a failing PFAS grade, and we never recommend buying a failing product.
Orville Redenbacher's Kettle Corn Microwave Popcorn
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
ReportedPFAS migration from bag coating
PossibleThermal degradation of coating polymers
PossibleMicroplastics and particulates from bag lining
Our pick
Pirate's Booty
Cheddar Blast Puffs
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossiblePolymer food-contact lining leaching
PossibleMicroplastic fragmentation
PossibleMoisture barrier failure and mold/bacterial growth
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS migration from bag coating, Thermal degradation of coating polymers, Microplastics and particulates from bag lining and Residual monomers and processing aids in coating on the and not on the Pirate's Booty.
- We flag Polymer food-contact lining leaching, Microplastic fragmentation and Moisture barrier failure and mold/bacterial growth on the Pirate's Booty and not on the .
- The is paper/paperboard popcorn bag with grease-resistant coating where the Pirate's Booty is paperboard bag with standard food-contact lining, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Pirate's Booty is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the grade, at 45% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More microwave popcorn: see the full ranking