Recently, the butter flavoring used in microwave popcorn has been in the news, and many consumers have not heard all the facts. Here is what you should know:

Butter flavorings may include an ingredient called diacetyl. Diacetyl is a naturally-occurring ingredient that provides a creamy, buttery taste. You can find it in thousands of food and beverage products, including butter, wine, coffee, pastries, cake mixes, cookies, crackers, candy and even some fruits and vegetables. In some microwave popcorn products, diacetyl has been separately added to provide the distinctive buttery taste.

Recently, flavor experts for Orville Redenbacher's and ACT II have developed a great tasting, new butter flavor that has no added diacetyl. Very soon, you'll be able to find all flavors of Orville Redenbacher's and ACT II without added diacetyl at your grocery store. In fact, you may be able to find these new products on store shelves already.

Is this ingredient bad for you? According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other scientific authorities, this specific ingredient is safe for consumers to eat. In fact, no disease of any type has been proven to be caused by preparing or eating microwave popcorn.

So why the attention to butter flavoring? The workers who handle large and highly-concentrated quantities of butter flavoring with diacetyl in manufacturing plants have risks, and brands like Orville Redenbacher's and ACT II have protected employees from those risks for many years.

What do you do with the popcorn in your pantry now? Enjoy it! The FDA has confirmed that diacetyl is a safe ingredient for consumers to eat. Plus, popcorn is a whole grain, which gives it all the whole grain goodness you find in other products like whole wheat, whole oats and other grains.

In summary, preparing and eating microwave popcorn is safe for you and your family. Its whole-grain goodness and legendary taste have been enjoyed by millions of families for generations.

If you’d like to learn more about diacetyl, click here.