Florida 4-H Consumer Choices Study Topics Teacher Guide WHAT S POPPING?

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1 Florida 4-H Consumer Choices Study Topics Teacher Guide WHAT S POPPING? Current dietary recommendations highlight the importance of choosing healthier foods, including snack foods. It is especially important for youth to consume nutrient dense foods in order to provide the optimal nutrition needed for growth and development. Finding healthy snack foods to fit the busy lifestyle of today s youth can be challenging. Popcorn is a convenient and inexpensive snack food consumed by many of today s youth. In addition to its portability, popcorn is a whole grain, which provides many added benefits. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 Committee Report, more than 95% of all age and sex groups do not consume the recommended amounts of whole grains every day, which can lead to suboptimal intake of fiber as well as other important nutrients. Encouraging youth to choose popcorn as a snack food will help them meet their needs for whole grains while satisfying their craving for a snack. There are many different types of popcorn available at the store. Microwave popcorn provides a very convenient method of quickly preparing this snack. Since microwave ovens are present in most homes, this is an attractive option for many consumers. As a result, youth are using this appliance more and more with little, if any, supervision. The sale of popcorn continues to grow. The portion of the market that is expanding is that of the microwaveable popcorn. In 2006, total microwave popcorn sales almost reached $600 million with Orville Redenbacher accounting for 26% of the market share. During this time period 15 brands of microwave popcorn were available. Each brand offers a variety of options that impact nutritional status to various degrees at various costs.

2 Objectives 4-H consumers and others will: learn more about popcorn and what makes it pop. describe what makes popcorn a whole grain and the benefits associated with whole grain consumption. compare different types of popcorn as related to cost, nutrition, and preparation. select the most appropriate popcorn to meet their needs for snacks. Suggested Teaching Activities 1. Study the nutrition and economics of popcorn consumption. Possible ways to look at the variety of choices available in the marketplace are: Take a group on a field trip to a grocery store. Find how many different brands of popcorn are sold, where they are in the store, different ways they are displayed, etc. Have the group members bring one or more types of popcorn to a group meeting. Using the worksheet "Compare Your Popcorn Choices," help the group discover and discuss the following information about different choices: Price per package. Cost per one cup (look on nutrition label for number and size of serving; translate into number of cups of popped kernels; divide cost of package by number of popped cups). Calories per serving (choose a standard serving size). Sodium (mg) and fat (grams) per serving (use the same serving as above). Note types of oils and additives in the product. Look for saturated oils and fats. Discuss the following questions from the worksheet: Which popcorn is/are the cheapest per serving? Which has/have the least sodium? Which has/have the least fat? Which have saturated fats/oils added?

3 2. Purchase, or have the students bring, several representative types of microwaveable and non-microwaveable popcorn. Pop enough of each for everyone to get at least ¼ cup of popped kernels. Taste each kind in order, drinking lots of water in between samples. (Or, taste just a few samples each at different meetings.) Rate or describe the differences in the types of popcorn. You may want to make forms for each student like the following: SAMPLE Item Circle one for each item Type Microwaveable Non-Microwaveable Size of popped kernel Large Medium Small Texture Tender, Fluffy Tough, Chewy Flavor Excellent Good Fair Poor [JC1] Seasonings Very Good Too Salty Other Discuss the following: If Other, please describe What differences did you find? (Examples of answers: size of kernels, ability to regulate levels of seasonings, etc.) Was there a noticeable difference between: # microwaveable and non-microwaveable popcorn? # different brands of microwaveable popcorn? (Point to consider: Are there more differences between brands of non- and microwaveable than between different brands of one type?) Which ones were the most expensive per serving? If the ones you liked better cost more, was the difference worth the extra cost?

4 3. Assign students to teams. Have teams compare preparation methods of different types of popcorn. For example: bulk popcorn individually prepackaged popcorn microwaveable plastic containers Make the following comparisons: Time to prepare, from start through ready to eat. Type and expense of equipment. Clean up time. Cost per serving. Nutritional content per serving. Discuss the following: Which method(s) required the least time to prepare? Clean up? Which method(s) required special equipment? How much does that equipment cost? Can it be used for other purposes (foods)? (Point to consider: the cost of equipment can be amortized over many uses. Discuss the difference between initial outlays and how often you will use it, how durable it is, etc.) Do any of the methods contribute to environmental or waste management problems? Which ones have the least impact? 4. Ask group members how often they eat popcorn. How much do they eat at one sitting? What types do they eat most often (butter, salt, cheese, etc.)? Take some of the larger quantities and show the group how many calories, fat and sodium they are consuming. Try to compare that with air-popped corn with no additives. 5. Ask the group how many potato chips, French fries and other snack foods high in calories, fat, and/or sodium they eat. Compare that to the nutritional advantage of plain or seasoned popcorn without added salt, fat, etc. 6. Discuss the labeling of popcorn. Which products have nutrition labels? Which list ingredients? Which give directions for making popcorn? What words are used to describe popcorn types and what do the following mean:

5 Natural? Light? Lite? Butter-flavor? Unsalted? Low-salt? Others? 7. Have a popcorn party! Make different recipes of popcorn seasoned with ingredients other than salt products. Offer a variety so the members may find something they like as well as salty, high fat popcorn.

6 Senior COMPARE YOUR POPCORN CHOICES MICROWAVE POPCORN Per Serving TYPE PRICE/ PACKAGE COST/3-CUP SERVING CALORIES SODIUM (MG) FAT (G) LIST OILS/ ADDITIVES Natural Butter flavor Butter Low salt or salt-free Light

7 NON-MICROWAVE - For Comparison Plain Popping Corn, oil and salt Varies Varies Varies Junior COMPARE POPCORN CHOICES MICROWAVE POPCORN Per serving TYPE PRICE/ PACKAGE COST/3-CUP SERVING CALORIES ADDED SODIUM ADDED FAT Circle one for each NATURAL :

8 : BUTTER FLAVOR : LOW SALT OR SALT-FREE : : LIGHT : : NON-MICROWAVE POPCORN TYPE PLAIN POPPING CORN, oil and salt : Variable Variable Variable

9 SAMPLE JUDGING SITUATION Bill and Jane are 5 th - grade students. They like popcorn. They have permission to use bagged microwave popcorn as long as they handle it with care. They are going to the supermarket with their mother. As a special treat for good grades, their mother agreed they can buy buttered popcorn if they select the one with the lowest fat content and the lowest price. Bill and Jane are looking at four choices. Help them find the best one for their situation, buttered popcorn that is low in cost and is low in fat. (Consider price per bag.) Popcorn Price Per Box Bags per Box Grams of fat per serving 1. Jolli Butter $ g 2. Jolly Time, Blast O Butter. $ g 3. Orville Redenbacher, Movie Theater Butter. $ g 4. Pop Secret, Butter $ g

10 ANSWERS Placings: Cuts: JUSTIFICATION 1 ST Place Number 3. Orville Ridenbacker Movie Theater Butter popcorn cost per six bag box is $2.49, the least expensive per bag (40 cents). Number 3 has one less gram of sodium than number 4, is lower priced and lower in fat. 2 nd Place Number 4. Pop Secret Butter popcorn is placed second because it is second in price, 55 cents per bag versus number 3 at 40 cents per bag. It has more fat than number 3. It also has a little more fat (13g vs 11g) than number 2 (3 rd place) but there is a wider difference in price between numbers 3 and 4. 3 rd Place Number 2. Jolly Time Blast-O-Butter at a cost of $1.89 for a box with 3 bags, each bag costs 63 cents. That is the third highest in cost. The fat content is lowest of the four, but price is more than numbers 3 and 4. It is a trade-off in fat and cost. There is very little difference in value between numbers 2 and 4. 4 th Place Number 1. Jolli Butter popcorn has 3 bags per box at a cost of $2.39 (80 cents per bag), the highest cost. Fat content is also higher than numbers 2 and 3.