Is LesserEvil Popcorn Clean?

The Short Answer

LesserEvil Popcorn is exceptionally clean. It is one of the only bagged popcorns on the market that uses organic extra virgin coconut oil instead of highly refined, inflammatory seed oils.

However, the brand's reputation took a massive hit in 2024 when testing revealed lead in their puffs. Consumer Reports found concerning levels of heavy metals in LesserEvil's cassava-based kids' snacks, prompting widespread panic. Fortunately, their popcorn line does not use cassava and was completely untouched by the heavy metal scandal.

Why This Matters

Most commercial popcorn is a chemical landmine. As we cover in Is Microwave Popcorn Bad, major brands use artificial butter flavoring, PFAS-lined bags, and cheap inflammatory oils.

LesserEvil does exactly what a crunchy snack should do. They stripped the ingredients down to the absolute bare minimum. By using extra virgin coconut oil, they avoid the unstable, highly processed oils found in nearly all of their competitors.

But brand trust matters when it comes to heavy metals. In June 2024, testing revealed that LesserEvil's Lil' Puffs contained 346.8 parts per billion of lead—the highest of any baby food tested by Consumer Reports since 2017. While the company phased out the contaminated cassava flour, the incident left a bad taste in many parents' mouths.

Additionally, LesserEvil was sued in 2023 over the saturated fat in their popcorn. The lawsuit argued the 5g of fat per serving made their "healthy" marketing deceptive. However, this fat comes entirely from coconut oil—which most of the health community vastly prefers over the canola oil found in Is Skinnypop Clean.

What's Actually In LesserEvil Popcorn

• Organic Non-GMO Popcorn — Unlike conventional corn, organic sourcing ensures the kernels haven't been heavily sprayed with glyphosate or other synthetic pesticides. Healthiest Popcorn
• Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil — A stable, healthy saturated fat that withstands high heat popping without oxidizing and breaking down. Oils In Chips
• Himalayan Pink Salt — An unrefined mineral salt that provides a cleaner flavor and trace minerals compared to heavily processed standard table salt.

What to Look For

Green Flags:

• Zero seed oils — They rely entirely on coconut or avocado oil, which are far more stable than the canola or sunflower oils used by most brands.
• Certified Organic — Keeps synthetic pesticides and herbicides out of your snack bowl.

Red Flags:

• Cassava flour — This root vegetable is notorious for absorbing heavy metals from soil, which directly caused LesserEvil's 2024 lead crisis in their puff products.
• "Natural flavors" — Even in "healthier" brands, this loophole term can hide dozens of proprietary chemical ingredients. LesserEvil's flavored varieties (like their sweet popcorns) sometimes utilize them.

The Best Options

If you stick to their core popcorn line, you're getting one of the absolute Healthiest Popcorn options available. Just steer clear of their puffed snacks.

The Bottom Line

1. Stick to the popcorn. The Himalayan Pink Salt flavor is arguably the cleanest bagged popcorn on grocery store shelves today.

2. Avoid the kids' puffs. The 2024 heavy metal testing proved their cassava-based snacks contained highly unsafe levels of lead.

3. Don't fear the saturated fat. The 2023 lawsuit over their fat content entirely missed the point—coconut oil is a massive upgrade over conventional seed oils.

FAQ

Does LesserEvil popcorn have lead?

No, the heavy metal contamination was entirely isolated to their puff products. Consumer Reports found lead in their cassava-based Lil' Puffs, but the popcorn does not contain cassava and was not implicated in the findings.

Why was LesserEvil sued over saturated fat?

A 2023 class-action lawsuit claimed their "healthy" marketing was deceptive due to high fat levels. The popcorn contains 5g of saturated fat per serving, but this comes directly from organic extra virgin coconut oil, which is highly stable and preferred by health-conscious consumers.

Is LesserEvil better than SkinnyPop?

LesserEvil is significantly cleaner than SkinnyPop. While both brands use non-GMO corn, SkinnyPop uses refined sunflower oil, whereas LesserEvil uses high-quality organic coconut oil. Check out our full comparison in Is Skinnypop Clean.

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