Non-Toxic Microwave Popcorn, ranked by PFAS grade

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What we found October 2026

72 of the 76 microwave popcorn products PFAS Authority has graded score below its 70 point pass mark for PFAS and other toxins, 94.7% of the category, as of October 2026, leaving 4 that pass. The highest graded is Quaker Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes at 70 out of 100.

The full ranking is below, best-graded first, with every score linking to the evidence behind it.

Is microwave popcorn safe?

4 of the 76 microwave popcorn products we graded come back low-concern on our screen and 72 do not. Our grades are model-based assessments built from published materials, ingredient lists, certifications and brand disclosures, not laboratory tests, so they say what we can evidence rather than that anything is safe.

Best graded microwave popcorn here

1Quaker Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes 70 out of 100
2Trader Joe's 2 Packs Trader Joe's Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn 5.5 Oz Each Pack 70 out of 100
3Wabash Valley Farms Sweet 70 out of 100

Start here

The best non-toxic microwave popcorn, ranked by grade

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Buyer’s guide

What to look for in microwave popcorn, and which brands grade best and worst

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Bad · Better · Best

Microwave Popcorn, ranked.

The quickest read, what to skip and the top-graded picks worth buying instead.

Avoid25Poor

Wise

Popcorn

25/100 safety

Popcorn bag coating type unclear; no brand disclosure on PFAS.

Why avoid it

Best pick70Good

Quaker

Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes

70/100 safety

Lower concern; no evidence of PFAS in product or packaging.

Details Check price

Why Quaker Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes wins, and what it beats

Every grade on this page is one sum. A category starts from a baseline, each disclosed material or coating adds risk points, and each thing the brand or a third party has published takes them away. Below is that sum for the winner, then for 2 products it beats, so you can see exactly where the 45 points between the top and the bottom of this microwave popcorn ranking come from.

The winner

70Good

Quaker Butter Popcorn Rice Cakes

Made of puffed rice cakes in paperboard packaging.

+25Category baseline. The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
+15No PFAS disclosure. No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
-10Base material not linked to PFAS. The main material recorded for this product is not one associated with PFAS.

30risk points in total, which is a grade of 70

What the grade does not fix. It still carries one risk factor, No PFAS disclosure. See the full breakdown.

Check price Full breakdown

What it beats, and why

60Good10 points behind the winner

Pop Weaver Gold Medal Pop Weaver Popcorn 12.5 lb Bagged

What puts it behind. The winner earns -10 points for Base material not linked to PFAS. We found nothing comparable published for this product.

Made of kraft paper bag, uncoated.

+25Category baseline
+15No PFAS disclosure

40risk points, a grade of 60

25Poor45 points behind the winner

ACT II Butter Lovers Microwave Popcorn

What puts it behind. Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment, +35 points. Water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS. The winner carries no such factor.

Made of Grease-resistant coated paperboard (bag lining).

+35Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
+25Category baseline
+15No PFAS disclosure

75risk points, a grade of 25

No product on this page was physically tested by us. Every number above comes from published materials, ingredient and coating disclosures, certifications and brand statements, scored on one public rubric. Formulations change without notice, so check the current product listing before buying.