Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes vs 2 Packs Trader Joe's Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn 5.5 Oz Each Pack: which is safer?
These two grade almost identically. Pick on price and preference; neither has a PFAS edge.
Quaker
Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes
PFAS grade
Good 70/100
Overall grade
Good 66/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
puffed rice cakes in paperboard packaging
Confidence
72%
PossibleMold or bacterial growth in packaging
Trader Joe's
2 Packs Trader Joe's Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn 5.5 Oz Each Pack
PFAS grade
Good 70/100
Overall grade
Good 66/100
Verdict
Buy
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
paperboard popcorn bag, grease-resistant interior lining
Confidence
68%
PossibleMoisture and mold risk if bag is compromised
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Mold or bacterial growth in packaging on the Quaker and not on the Trader Joe's.
- We flag Moisture and mold risk if bag is compromised on the Trader Joe's and not on the Quaker.
- The Quaker is puffed rice cakes in paperboard packaging where the Trader Joe's is paperboard popcorn bag, grease-resistant interior lining, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
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