Shoppers reducing dietary fat
Compare grams of total fat per 100g across products, then check the fat in the amount you expect to eat. A small bag’s calorie figure answers a different question from its fat per 100g.
Who is this choice for?
Snackers planning a defined portion
An individual bag gives you a stated portion. With a sharing bag, check whether the printed serving is the whole pack or just a fraction of it.
Shoppers considering microwave popcorn
Microwave preparation may suit you if you can follow the pack instructions and use the required equipment. Compare saturated fat and salt as well as total fat before choosing it over a ready-to-eat bag.
What should you compare?
Start with the per-100g nutrition panel to compare products on the same basis, then use serving weight to work out what the portion on your plate represents.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Total fat | Compare total fat in grams per 100g. Check the fat in your intended portion separately; bags of different sizes are not directly comparable by their per-pack figures. | If reducing dietary fat is my priority, I want to compare like with like before choosing a flavour or pack size. |
| Portion and calories | Find the serving weight and whether the calorie figure applies to one bag, a quarter of a sharing bag or another amount. Check how many such servings you plan to eat. | A 10g individual bag may make my snack amount easier to define. If I choose a sharing bag, I need to account for the portion I actually pour. |
| Other nutrition | Read saturated fat, salt and sugars per 100g alongside total fat. Sweet-and-salty and plain salted products can have different figures for each. | I want the flavour I choose to fit the other nutrition measures that matter to me, not just its total-fat figure. |
| Preparation and warnings | For microwave popcorn, check the equipment and cooking directions on the pack. For any popcorn, read warnings about unpopped kernels and age suitability. | If I cannot follow the microwave instructions, I would choose a ready-to-eat format. In a household with young children, I need to check the pack’s warnings. |
What can make the label misleading?
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Choosing by calories per serving alone
A serving may be only part of a bag. Tesco Groceries lists Metcalfe’s Sweet ’N Salt at 96 kcal per quarter pack, while its total fat is 23.8g per 100g.
Compare fat per 100g first, then check the serving weight and the amount you expect to eat.
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Assuming all popcorn has similar fat content
Declared total fat differs markedly between products: Tesco Groceries lists Magicorn EazyPop Salted at 13g per 100g and Tesco Salted Popcorn at 31.2g per 100g.
Use the nutrition panel for the particular flavour and pack you are buying rather than relying on the word “popcorn”.
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Ignoring salt, saturated fat and sugars
Tesco Groceries lists 6g saturated fat and 3g salt per 100g for Magicorn EazyPop Salted. Asda lists 25g sugars and 2g salt per 100g for its Sweet & Salted Popcorn.
Compare the full panel if these measures affect your choice; a lower total-fat figure does not describe them.
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Missing preparation and kernel warnings
Tesco Groceries states that Magicorn EazyPop Salted requires a microwave turntable. Its listing for Metcalfe’s Sweet ’N Salt warns that the product may contain unpopped kernels and is not suitable for children under 4 years.
Follow the microwave pack’s directions and read the warnings on the popcorn you buy, particularly when serving children.
Brand and product references
These nutrition figures refer to the named products and pack formats, not to every popcorn sold under each brand.
Magicorn
EazyPop Salted 85g is a microwave popcorn product listed by Tesco Groceries.
- Its listed total fat is 13g per 100g.
- The same panel lists 6g saturated fat and 3g salt per 100g; the product requires a microwave turntable.
Propercorn
The Lightly Sea Salted multipack listed by Sainsbury’s contains six 10g ready-to-eat bags.
- Sainsbury’s lists 44 kcal and 1.7g fat per 10g bag.
- Its listed total fat is 17.4g per 100g, so the small per-bag figures should not be mistaken for a per-100g comparison.
Metcalfe’s
Tesco Groceries lists Sweet ’N Salt as an 80g sharing bag.
- The listing states 96 kcal per quarter pack, giving a defined serving fraction to check against the amount eaten.
- It lists 23.8g fat and 18.1g sugars per 100g, and warns that it is not suitable for children under 4 years.
Asda
Asda lists both Sweet & Salted and Salted ready-to-eat popcorn.
- Their separate panels allow a comparison by flavour: Asda lists 21g fat per 100g for Sweet & Salted and 26g for Salted.
- Sweet & Salted lists 25g sugars and 2g salt per 100g; check the panel for the flavour you choose.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists its own-label Salted Popcorn in an 85g bag.
- The listing describes approximately four servings per bag, which helps when planning a portion.
- Its listed nutrition is 31.2g fat and 524 kcal per 100g; one serving is not the whole bag.
Tyrrells
Tesco Groceries lists Tyrrells Sweet & Salt popcorn in a 23g bag.
- The single bag has a stated weight for planning how much to eat.
- The listed panel gives 28.4g fat and 17.6g sugars per 100g.
Popcorn options on Joybuy
These Propercorn options include individual-bag multipacks and a 70g bag. Compare their pack formats with the portion you intend to eat; the products here do not represent every preparation format discussed above.
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Propercorn Lightly Sea Salted Popcorn 6x10g
Six individual 10g bags provide a defined snack portion. Sainsbury’s lists 44 kcal and 1.7g fat per 10g bag, and 17.4g fat per 100g for this multipack. Check the current pack’s allergen information if it matters to you.
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Propercorn Sweet & Salty 6x14g
Six individual 14g bags offer a stated portion size for a sweet-and-salty choice. Compare the current pack’s fat per 100g, sugars and salt with other flavours rather than selecting it by bag size alone.
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Propercorn Lightly Sea Salted 70g
This 70g bag lets you decide how much to serve, rather than providing separate individual bags. Check the current pack’s serving weight and nutrition panel before using a per-serving calorie figure to plan your portion.
Popcorn questions
Does a small calorie figure mean popcorn has less fat?
No. Calories for a small serving and total fat per 100g measure different things. Tesco Groceries lists Metcalfe’s Sweet ’N Salt at 96 kcal per quarter pack but 23.8g fat per 100g. Compare fat per 100g, then check the calories and fat for the amount you will eat.
Which of the named retailer examples has the lowest total fat per 100g?
Magicorn EazyPop Salted has the lowest declared total fat among the retailer examples compared here, at 13g per 100g according to Tesco Groceries. It is a microwave product, and its panel also lists 6g saturated fat and 3g salt per 100g. This comparison is limited to the named products, not all popcorn sold in the UK.
What else should I check when choosing lower-fat popcorn?
Check the intended serving weight, saturated fat, salt and sugars as well as total fat. For example, Asda lists 25g sugars and 2g salt per 100g for its Sweet & Salted Popcorn; those figures remain relevant even when you are comparing products chiefly by fat.
What preparation or kernel warnings matter?
Follow the directions on microwave popcorn and read any warnings about unpopped kernels. Tesco Groceries states that Magicorn EazyPop Salted needs a microwave turntable, while its Metcalfe’s Sweet ’N Salt listing warns about unpopped kernels and says the product is not suitable for children under 4 years.