Movie Theater Snacks Rarely A Healthy Choice

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 6:15am

Movie Theater Snacks Rarely A Healthy Choice:

Although owners say trans fats are being banished, saturated fats remain a problem.

By John Horn and Sheigh Crabtree
The L.A. Times

March 12, 2007

Jose Mier will be working the ShoWest convention floor in Las Vegas this week, peddling his Capital Churros to theater owners there for the annual convention. He envisions the fried and sugary snacks — about 16 inches long and stuffed with Bavarian cream, caramel and strawberries — spicing up movie theater concession stands across the nation.

In a nearby booth, Creative Concepts will be promoting Pucker Powder, a sour-powder dispenser — choose Sweet Blue Bubblegum or Sour White Apple — for movie fans who want to create edible sugar tubes. FuNacho will be pushing its cheese-and-chips program, American Licorice will showcase its many varieties (is the Saturday matinee crowd ready for pink strawberry twist?) while ConAgra Foods will try to entice theater owners into stocking Slim Jims and Crunch 'n Munch.

ShoWest, which kicks off today, is the industry showcase for a variety of products — rug shampoo as well as the latest DreamWorks animated movie. An estimated 2,700 exhibitors, distributors and vendors can shuttle from a demonstration of digital projectors to a movie-piracy presentation by the Department of Homeland Security. Studios will trot out finished movies and film clips — "Hairspray," "Transformers" and "Mr. Brooks" — while independent film companies will try to generate attention for smaller movies such as "Talk to Me" and "Away From Her."

And while everyone is trying to figure out what the summer's biggest popcorn movie will be, theater owners also will be wrestling with another weighty question: What kind of grease should the popcorn be cooked in?

Theater owners are determined to give audiences a thoroughly modern experience, with stadium seats, surround-sound speakers and 3-D digital projectors. But when it comes to peddling "Star Wars"-era junk food, exhibitors remain stuck in an artery-clogging time warp, health experts say: Although concessions are largely trans-fat free, the caldron-sized portions are still loaded with toxic saturated fats and tooth-rotting sugars.

Even after a highly publicized 1994 study forced many theater chains to steer away from cooking popcorn in coconut oil, several leading exhibitors — including Regal, the nation's largest, and AMC — pop their kernels in the unwholesome substance. Another top chain, National Amusements, says it is considering replacing its healthier canola oil with coconut oil too.

"Most foods in concession stands are high in fat. We wish they would minimize portion sizes, but we'd really like to see the more dangerous elements removed," says Dr. Pat Crawford, an adjunct professor in the School of Public Health at UC Berkeley.

Mary Beth Sodus, a registered and licensed dietitian at the University of Maryland Medical Center's weight management and wellness center, says concession stands advertising food as free of trans fat may be confusing customers.

"You shouldn't be told that if it's trans-fat free, it's OK," Sodus says. "When they use coconut oil, they can say they are trans-fat free. But coconut oil is 86.5% saturated fat."

The theater owners say they are only responding to consumer demand — heart doctors may wish their patients didn't soak their popcorn in butter-flavored sludge, but hot kernels coated in the flavorful fat is what moviegoers crave.

"The concession stand is an entertainment destination, just like a movie theater," says Larry Etter, the president of the National Assn. of Concessionaires and vice president of the Southern chain Malco Theatres. "You don't go there to work out like a gym."

Read on...
The Nachos Problem

Updated On: 3/12/07 at 06:15 AM

[peach]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 12:11pm

Yikes. Artery-clogging stuff. I'm someone who loves popcorn when I watch a movie. I just wish they'd offer me something airpopped!

I still eat it, but I get the kid size. Still saturated-fatty, but I guess less of it and not very often.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 12:13pm

We can also put a man on the moon, but can't make snack packaging for theatres (live AND movie) that aren't made noisy, crinkly plastic.

[worrell4077]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 12:26pm

"We can also put a man on the moon, but can't make snack packaging for theatres (live AND movie) that aren't made noisy, crinkly plastic."

I guess not.

I usually get a thing of pretzel bits and maybe some candy with a coke when I see a movie. It's not exactly the healthiest thing in the world, but it's something to snack on. Sometimes though the pretzel bits feel like they are raw or they are just stale.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 12:30pm

clearly if the theatre owners will not provide tasty, healthy snacks for their patrons then the government should step in and require them to do so! it's a simple issue of civil rights!

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 1:15pm

after working in a movie theatre, I know better than to eat the popcorn for various and sundry reasons.

Besides, everyone in NYC sneaks food in.

[Anakela]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 1:54pm

"Theater snacks rarely a healthy choice"

I love it. In other news: water is wet, sky is blue, grass is green.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 2:00pm

Does anyone ever buy those giant-ass pickles? It's probably the healthiest choice in the theater, but I sure don't want to chomp on one of those for two hours.

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 2:02pm

Ok lildogs, now I'm curious. I'm sure I'll regret this, but...what's the story on the popcorn?

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 2:05pm

i'm a little bit more morbidly interested in just what an "ass pickle" is.

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 2:14pm

This is why i bring my own food and drink.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 2:32pm

I got your ass pickle, papa. It's what makes you pucker so.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 3:06pm

I always get popcorn. It's one of my favorite foods...I could eat it daily.

What about the way they cook it makes the movie theatre popcorn bad for you?

If prepared properly, popcorn is quite healthy.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 3:19pm

It's the oil they use that make it so unhealthy and (taste so good).

I just goggled and found this:

-- AMC Movie Theatres Buttered Popcorn Small -- 630 calories, 50g fat (29g saturated)

-- AMC Movie Theatres Buttered Popcorn Large -- 1640 calories, 126g fat (73g saturated)

-- AMC Movie Theatres (No Topping) Small (Entire Container) -- 225 calories, 11g fat (9g saturated)

-- AMC Movie Theatres (No Topping) Medium (Entire Container) -- 434 calories, 20g fat (17g saturated)

-- AMC Movie Theatres (No Topping) Large (Entire Container) -- 664 calories, 31g fat (27g saturated)

http://www.dietfacts.com/search.asp?searchKey=movie+theatre+popcorn

Updated On: 3/12/07 at 03:19 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 3:27pm

Gee, thanks Margo.

For the longest time the "ignorance is bliss" thing was really working for me.

Still, 664 calories for a large popcorn isn't terrible if you're active. It's the massive amounts of fat that ruins the whole thing.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 3:32pm

"I got your ass pickle, papa. It's what makes you pucker so."

What about papa's pucker?

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 3:39pm

The "oil" they use in the popper is usually a hard stick of orange "butter" that's really made from palm kernel oil. Or the oil is pumped from a big bucket under the popper, in which case it's a liquid form of the same product.

The "butter" they use to put on top is also made from the same fat, solid at room temperature, which is why they serve it in those heated pumps.

We also bought the corn in huge 50-lb bags which were often eaten by mice and used anyway.

Sorry to gross you all out...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 3:47pm

FYI -- according to the site I linked above (with the info coming from the movie chains themselves -- AMC, Hoyt's, United Artists et al) the popcorn is cooked in coconut oil.

Updated On: 3/12/07 at 03:47 PM

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 3:47pm

*shrugs*

Yeah...I asked.

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 4:07pm

Coconut oil, palm kernel oil--icky stuff.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 4:17pm

It may be icky as in "Bad for you" but it's what makes Popcorn so darn tasty. There is one chain (Arthouse, upscale place-can't recall the name) that still uses real butter on it's popcorn, as does the sainted Music Box Theater in Chicago. Heavenly!

Otherwise, just sneak in a dozen devileld eggs! Silent but delcious!

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 4:27pm

I understand WHY they don't use real butter--it's WAY more expensive and both separates when melted and has to be refrigerated, but still...I guess I just lost the taste for it.

I'm a Sour Punch/Reese's Pieces kinda guy...maybe the occasional burrito.

[peach]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 4:39pm

I sneak in granola bars sometimes because they fit in my purse. But I like the tasty bad for you popcorn too!

One of our theatres has a Starbucks in it. Very convenient when you are going to a first showing (like 10 am) of a movie - which I sometimes do on rainy Sundays.

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 4:59pm

I sneak in water bottles, alcohol, Burritoville, box of raisins...I figure as long as I don't leave a mess, it's okay.

[pemberlee]

Posted: 3/12/07 at 5:09pm

I agree. As long as you put it in a trash can it is ok.