Amish Country Microwave Popcorn Sweet Kettle Corn
Microwave popcorn bags often use PFAS-based grease barriers. Brand provides no disclosure.
Microwave popcorn bags typically employ water and grease-resistant coatings that may contain PFAS. The brand provides no public statement on PFAS use or absence in this product's packaging.
The better-graded swap
Trader Joe's
2 Packs Trader Joe's Synergistically Seasoned Popcorn 5.5 Oz Each Pack
70/100 safety
Same rubric that flunked this product. The swap earned Good.
Still want this one anyway? Check the price on Amazon. We’d swap it.
Material
Paper/kraft bag with grease-resistant coating
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
You may also be interested in
Top-graded picks in the categories readers replace first, every one scored on the same rubric.
- polypropylene filter housing, carbon/sediment cartridge
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial growth in spent cartridges
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Aquasure
Premier Series 75 GPD Under Sink Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System
- RO membrane, carbon filters, stainless steel housing
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Bacterial and microbial growth in housing and filters
4 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
Avocado
Vegan Mattress
- organic cotton, natural latex, coconut coir, recycled steel coils
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- Heavy metals
2 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
What Amish Country Microwave Kettle Corn is made of, ingredients and materials
This product uses a kraft paper bag with a grease-resistant coating, standard in microwave popcorn. The coating likely contains fluorinated compounds (PFAS) to repel oils and prevent bag failure during heating. Paper itself is inert under normal microwave use, but the coating is the concern. When the bag heats to activate the susceptor (the metallized film that creates localized heat), coating-to-food migration becomes possible, especially for fatty popcorn kernels and butter flavoring.
What’s concerning
Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
Water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS.
Category baseline
The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
No PFAS disclosure
No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
PFAS
Microwave popcorn bags are a known and documented source of PFAS migration to food during heating. The coating on this product is specifically designed to withstand high temperatures, increasing potential for transfer to the fatty popcorn and butter flavoring inside.
Source, ATSDR ↗Thermal degradation of coating
Repeated or prolonged microwave heating can weaken the coating's integrity over time, though manufacturer guidance (typically 2-3 minutes) minimizes this in normal use. Overheating accelerates degradation and potential particle or chemical release.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) off-gassing during heating
Fluorinated and non-fluorinated coatings may release trace volatile compounds when heated to 200+ degrees Celsius. The risk is very low if bag is used as directed, but opens in a well-ventilated area reduce any theoretical exposure to inhalation of fumes.
Microplastics
If the bag is creased, punctured, or stored poorly, coating particles could theoretically fragment and contact popcorn. This is unlikely in normal use but becomes more possible if bags are reused or stored improperly for extended periods.
Source, EPA ↗Lack of ingredient and process transparency
The brand does not disclose the specific chemical composition of the bag coating or whether it has tested for PFAS leaching. This absence of transparency is standard across most microwave popcorn brands but represents a consumer information gap.
How is this PFAS grade calculated?
The brand's record and disclosure
The brand is owned by Conagra Brands. The company has not published specific disclosures about PFAS use in microwave popcorn bags, despite industry-wide awareness of the issue since the early 2010s. No major recalls tied to this product line are on record. The brand's parent company has faced pressure from regulatory bodies and advocacy groups on PFAS but has not committed to phase-out timelines publicly available for this category.
How it compares in its category
Microwave popcorn bags as a category all rely on grease barriers, and most major brands (including Orville Redenbacher, Act II, Pop Secret) use similar PFAS-containing coatings without disclosure. Loose-kernel popcorn in paper bags or paper containers without high-temperature grease coatings avoids this hazard entirely. Some brands have begun exploring PFAS-free alternatives, but the brand has not announced such a transition. This product is middle-of-the-road for its category, not an outlier in risk.
If you buy it
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and do not overheat or use the bag outside a microwave where coating breakdown could accelerate. Allow the bag to cool before opening to reduce inhalation of any volatilized coating. Store unopened bags in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, as heat and humidity can degrade the coating over time. Consider this a convenience food, not a dietary staple; rotating in loose-kernel popcorn reduces cumulative PFAS exposure.
What is not known about PFAS in this product?
- Basis
- Model estimate, 45% confidence, not a lab result
- Lab test
- None on record for this exact product
- Brand statement
- has made none
Formulations change between production runs, so check the current label. How we grade.
What are the PFAS-free alternatives to Amish Country Microwave Popcorn Sweet Kettle Corn?
- puffed rice cakes in paperboard packaging
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Mold or bacterial growth in packaging
- paperboard popcorn bag, grease-resistant interior lining
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Moisture and mold risk if bag is compromised
- paper-based food packaging with standard coating
- We found no PFAS statement from the brand
- Ink migration (printing on exterior or interior)
3 hazards checked on this product, all on its full breakdown.
More microwave popcorn grades
How we score, every product runs through the same public 0-100 rubric based on materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls. See the full methodology → Spotted a mistake? Report an error.