PSA: Fluffy Popcorn Isn't Actually Safe to Eat

If you’re looking for new, easy party snack ideas online, you might have seen the viral Fluffy Popcorn trend on TikTok. Topped with sprinkles, fluffy popcorn looks like a festive yet easy to prep snack. 

In case you haven’t seen the videos, a stick of butter is melted with mini marshmallows creating a sweet base. Then, comes the surprise element: boxed cake mix. Once fully incorporated, already popped popcorn is folded in *Moira Rose voice.* Candy or sprinkles top the snack. But could this confection actually be dangerous to eat?

Is Fluffy Popcorn Safe to Eat?

You might not think of boxed cake mix as dangerous but undercooking it poses a major health risk. Raw flour in the mix can harbor bacteria that could cause food borne illnesses such as e. Coli and Salmonella. The flour has been processed, but this does not kill harmful bacteria. Only completely cooking or baking can keep sickness from ruining your snacking. 

“Butter and marshmallows melt somewhere around 100 Fahrenheit which is not hot enough to kill any pathogens that might be in the cake mix,” says Dr. Ben Chapman, professor and director of the Safe Plates food safety extension and research program at North Carolina State University. ”Relying on the hot melted mixture to kill any pathogenic e. Coli or Salmonella that might be present is risky.”

Both the FDA and CDC caution against eating dishes with raw flour or eggs or foods that have been cross-contaminated with either. Ready-to-eat foods, like popcorn, would fall into that category. And these illnesses are no joke! In March 2023, flour contaminated with Salmonella sickened 14 people and hospitalized three across 13 states. It’s estimated by the CDC that foodborne illness sickens 48 million people each year. Symptoms of foodborne illness can range from stomach cramps and diarrhea to vomiting and organ failure requiring hospitalization.

Bill Marler, a lawyer with more than 30 years experience in food safety cases, explained the risks associated with untreated flour, citing an E. coli outbreak linked to Nestle Toll House cookie dough in 2009 and subsequent recalls. 

“Nestle knew and was concerned that people were eating the product raw, and so they went to great lengths to pasteurize the milk, butter, chocolate, egg, but they didn't pasteurize or heat treat the flour because heat treating flour changed the consistency of the cookie dough, and people didn't like it,” he said. ”Untreated flour is a potential risk because it's essentially a raw agricultural product. So the bottom line is, anytime you're using flour, you're creating a potentially great place for E. coli or salmonella to grow and get people sick. Unless you're cooking the flour more thoroughly, somehow in the recipe, you're putting yourself [at risk].”

How to Make Fluffy Popcorn Safe to Eat

Swap in pudding mix for the cake mix, or use a splash of cake batter extract to get the same flavor without the risks of an upset stomach. Or skip the cake mix entirely and make popcorn crispy treats instead, which offer the same buttery sweet crunchy goodness. No snack is worth the possibility of a trip to the emergency room.