Act II Popcorn

Snacks

Snacking is more popular than ever. In fact, about 25% of our daily calories come from snacks, making it important to choose foods that support our healthy lifestyles. One way to snack smarter is by adding more whole grains and fiber to our diets.

Popcorn is a great option since it provides both of these nutrients, especially when compared to other common snacks like chips and candy. Studies show that popcorn eaters consume twice as much whole grain and about 20% more fiber. Another reason to choose popcorn is that you can eat more for fewer calories. Other snacks often pack triple the calories in just one cup. So, next time you’re craving a snack, reach for one that offers all the flavor with none of the guilt.

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How Popcorn Pops

Popcorn is a whole-grain maize product, grown mainly in the corn belt states of the U.S. It looks and grows similarly to corn-on-the-cob, but only popcorn kernels can pop.

The popping ability of popcorn comes from the small amount of water inside each kernel, stored within a soft starch circle and surrounded by a hard outer casing. When heated, the water expands, creating pressure. Eventually, the casing bursts, causing the kernels to explode and turn inside out, releasing steam.

To ensure more kernels pop, the popcorn industry has continually improved the product. Over the years, popcorn processors have conducted significant hybrid seed research to enhance their product.

Early Popcorn History

The earliest evidence of popcorn was found in Peru, dating back to 4700 BCE. Researchers believe early and wild corn was first used for popping.
Ancient popcorn poppers, shallow vessels with a hole on top and a single handle, have been discovered on the north coast of Peru. These poppers date back to the pre-Incan Mochica culture around 300 AD.
English colonists encountered popcorn at the first Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Quadequina, the brother of Wampanoag chief Massasoit, brought a deerskin bag of popped corn as a gift to the celebration.

Recent Popcorn History

Charlie Cretors invented the first popcorn machine in 1893. Home poppers appeared around 1925. In 1945, Percy Spencer discovered that placing popcorn under microwave energy made it pop, leading to experiments with other foods and the invention of the microwave oven.
When movie theater attendance dropped, popcorn consumption at theaters fell too. However, as people began enjoying popcorn at home, the new connection between television and popcorn sparked a resurgence in its popularity.
Americans now consume around 16 billion quarts of popcorn annually, or about 51 quarts per person.
Popcorn kernels can pop up to 3 feet in the air.
In February 2009, volunteers in Sac City, Iowa, created the world’s largest popcorn ball. It weighed 5,000 lbs., stood over 8 feet tall, and had a circumference of 28.8 feet.

* Information obtained from www.popcorn.org

ACT II TIMELINE

1978
Golden Valley Microwave Foods, based out of Edina, Minnesota, started with a bold idea–to make products exclusively for use in microwave ovens.
1981
ACT I Microwave Popcorn, a frozen product sold in refrigerated vending machines, was introduced.
1984
Golden Valley developed a revolutionary new popcorn bag, which allowed the kernels in the bag to pop in any microwave. The shelf-stable, non-refrigerated product was called ACT II.
1991
Golden Valley was acquired by ConAgra Foods, Inc.
1999
ConAgra Foods, Inc. produced more than 1 billion bags of popcorn, making Golden Valley the largest manufacturer of microwave popcorn in the world.