The why
Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn. FDA completed voluntary PFAS phase-out in food packaging February 2024, so current production should ship with PFAS-free bag liners. Legacy retail inventory may still carry PFAS-coated bags, and replacement grease proofing chemistry has limited public toxicology data. The product itself stays ultra processed: artificial butter flavor (diacetyl historically linked to popcorn lung in factory workers, reformulated for consumer use), TBHQ in some varieties, and the bag and butter heating profile concentrates flavor chemistry not present in stovetop popcorn. Score reflects the processing profile plus residual legacy inventory uncertainty rather than current intentional PFAS use. Ingredients verified 05 2026.