Popcorn is a popular snack made through a variety of methods and coated in an uncountable number of different flavors. That being said, there is one flavor of popcorn which should be left to rest: the bright, fruity, stomach-churning rainbow popcorn.
We have all seen the little-talked-about colorful bags of popcorn and may have even been tricked as a young child into picking the lesser choice over our favorites.
Children are drawn to bright colors, meaning the fruit-flavored snack’s prime audience is youth. It makes sense as, let’s be honest, even adventurous adults may not be keen on ingesting neon-pigmented food.
In order to make the bright colors edible, the sugar coating is dyed with food coloring. Dyes found in rainbow popcorn include, but are not limited to, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6. These dyes contain benzidine, which can cause cancer. Red 40 dye also potentially causes aggression as well as ADHD in children.
As a result of controversies, many children-centered brands have removed artificial dyes from their formulas. One of the most famous companies to change to natural dyes was Kraft, who removed both Yellow 5 and Yellow 6 from their mac & cheese recipe.
For a food so clearly centered around children, it is unfortunate that the blinding paint on the snack has not caught up with the times. The almost inedible delicacy’s first ingredient is sugar followed by the corn-syrup-based coating mix, leaving popcorn as the fourth ingredient.
Despite having so much sugar, the artificial morsels lack any substantial flavor, and after the initial fruit shock, are about as satisfying as chewing on the green side of a sponge.
Rainbow popcorn does more harm than good. Not only does it cause sugar rushes leading to cranky children, it also carries potential harm to their long-term health. Even getting past the horrifying realities of what is allowed in food, the flavor of the popcorn is lacking and simply tastes artificial.
Please, for your own sake, think about what you may be putting into your body. Before trying rainbow popcorn, consider the delicious alternatives such as the classic butter and salt popcorn. If you are looking for something sweet, try kettle corn, as it has an infinitely better taste and does not look like a second grader’s art project.
There is no need for rainbow popcorn as the health risks and lack of flavor far outweigh the nonexistent pros. After years of allowing this to sit next to confirmed favorites and bestsellers, it is time to give this colorful scam a happy funeral.
You are at the movies with your friends, and it is getting good. The part of the movie where you are leaning forward with anticipation, ready for something to happen. Caught in the moment you absentmindedly take a handful of popcorn.
Expecting a buttery and salty delight, you are met with unseasoned popcorn with a slight sugary taste. Not expecting the surprise, you look down at your popcorn. Not the stained with butter yellow, but white. It is kettle corn. And just like that, you missed the best part of the movie.
Kettle corn is one or the most deceptive foods out there. A lot of times people eat it without realizing, and are rewarded with a nasty surprise. Just looking at kettle corn you cannot tell it is kettle corn. It is probably just regular popcorn. It could be white cheddar, or just not as buttery as the rest, goading you into a false sense of security before it stabs you in the back with its tease.
Kettle corn is popcorn, and when you think of popcorn you think salty, buttery food with a feeling of light, fluff and slight crisp. Not sweet. Not the distinct sweet of pure sugar.
Though one might say caramel popcorn is sweet too, it is already prepared you for that sweet. Just looking at the crunchy caramel will tell you it is sweet. It is not blind-siding you.
We are all well aware of how addictive sugar can be. Once you have had some you crave more. Studies have shown that it activates the same part or your brain as nicotine. Meaning you should be careful about just how much sugar you ingest before you become truly addicted.
In the process of making kettle corn, companies use the additive taste of sugar to their advantage to keep customers coming back. By using the nature of how people eat popcorn in large quantities and the addictive taste of sugar, people go from binging food to not having any left too quickly.
When they are done with that bag they will immediately crave more of the sweet corn. They will eat the popcorn the same way as last time, and it becomes a vicious cycle.
If you do not like the everyday movie popcorn, there are other flavors like mushroom or white cheddar popcorn. But if you are the type or person that actually loves popcorn and their health, stay away from kettle corn.