1473 Whole Grain Pop

I love when companies that used to be the worst perpetrators of unhealthy stuff turn around and ride the wave of a new opportunity. Like healthy salads at McDonalds or lead paint repurposed for blocking drifting nuclear radiation.
Oh right, that's in development.
So I was attracted to a notice I saw on a microwave popcorn box the other day. It was on one of the new boxes of Orville Redenbacher NATURAL gourmet popping corn, which contains "no" artificial ingredients.
By "no" I'm sure they mean less than the reporting standards for "one" artificial ingredient, be it microgram or ounce. But the statement that caught my eye was, "No added Diacetyl Butter Flavorings."
As opposed to the diacetyl butter flavorings that occur in nature.
I'm guessing that means that at one time, they did add diacetyl butter flavorings. Diacetyl is sometimes used in beer and alcohol products to provide a slippery mouth feel. Another variation of the chemical is used a mosquito repellent.
Nice tip for your next camping trip.
"Got any Deet?"
"No but rub on some of this microwave popcorn..."
Diacetyl is also implicated in popcorn lung diseasea sort of black lung thing workers in popcorn factories get from inhaling too much of it.
Popcorn lung. Watch out theatre workers.
But what really got me about the package was its biggest attempt to sell the popcorn as a healthy treat. On the top of the box in large letters it said, "100% Whole Grain."
Okay. Whole Grain Popcorn. Can't argue with that. The germ, endosperm, and bran are all there. Totally transformed by the hot oil popping process to be sure. And there's no such thing as non-whole grain popcorn, but hey, you gotta focus on your strengths.
Especially since you don't repel mosquitoes anymore.
America, ya gotta love it.