University of North Texas
Department of Technical Communications
Auditorium Hall
Denton, TX 76210
November 21, 2013
Ms. Dorris
Instructor
Department of Technical Communications
1155 Union Circle
Denton, TX 76210
Re: Report on Choosing the Best Popcorn
Dear Ms. Dorris:
We are pleased to submit the accompanying report, “Choosing the Best Popcorn,” in response to your request. The report examines popcorn that can be purchased at Kroger on University Dr. in
Denton as part of an assignment.
For this project, we evaluated the following brands of popcorn: Act II, Kroger brand, Orville
Redenbacher and Pop Secret on the basis of their sodium content, price per bag, number of popped kernels, and different flavors available in each brand. Based on this information, I have concluded that the Kroger brand is the best buy.
If you have any questions, please call us at (832) 652-7621 or email us at davilatrevor@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Trevor Davila
Team Leader Student

Executive Summary…………………………………………………………………………iv
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….1
Methods of Evaluating the Popcorn…………………………………………………………1
Results of the Evaluation…………………………………………………………………….1
Price per bag of popcorn……………………………………………………………
Number of flavors of popcorn……….…………………………………………….
Popped kernels per bag……..……………………………………………………..
Amount of Sodium………………………………………………………………..
Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………….
Recommendation…………………………………………………………………………….

We have investigated the feasibility of buying each of the following brands of popcorn from
Kroger:

Act II

Kroger Brand

Orville Redenbacher

Pop Secret
We evaluated these four brands based on price, flavor variety, and sodium content. The Kroger
Brand popcorn was on par with Act II and Pop Secret in sodium content and flavor variety, and it had the lowest price per popped kernel of popcorn. Since most college students have a limited budget, Kroger brand popcorn is probably their best option.
If you are a UNT student, and you are buying popcorn from Kroger, then we recommend that you buy Kroger brand popcorn.

Grocery stores sell multiple versions of every product in their inventory, and Kroger’s popcorn selection is no exception to this rule. Kroger sells four brands of popcorn, and our group conducted a study to determine which of these brands is the best value.
To determine the best brand of popcorn, we first counted the number of flavors of each brand.
Then, we selected a common flavor of each brand (three popular brands and one store brand), popped one bag of each according to the provided instructions, and evaluated the popped bags of popcorn according to the following criteria:

Price per bag

Number of kernels in each bag

Number of popped kernels per bag

Amount of sodium per 2 tbsp. serving

Price per popped kernel
By carrying out our study, we found the following results:
Act II Kroger brand Orville Redenbacher Pop Secret
Price per bag $0.63 $0.42 $1.13 $1.13
Number of Flavors 5
Number of kernels per bag 404
Popped kernels per bag 331
5
405
355
280 mg 270 mg
10
430
371
63 mg
6
296
270
220 mg Amount of Sodium per serving (2 tbsp.)
Price per popped kernel $0.19 $0.12 $0.30 $0.42
Price per bag of popcorn
Option 2, Kroger Brand popcorn, is the least expensive option at 42 cents per bag. Options 3 and
4, Orville Redenbacher and Pop Secret, tied for the most expensive at $1.13 per bag.
Option 1: Act II
Act II brand popcorn was the second cheapest option. It ended up costing 63 cents per bag. 19 cents per popped kernel
Option 2: Kroger Brand

Kroger Brand was the cheapest option. It cost 42 cents per bag. 12
Option 3: Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher was tied with Pop Secret for the most expensive. This one cost $1.13 per bag. 30
Option 4: Pop Secret
Pop Secret was tied with Orville Redenbacher on the most expensive popcorn brand. This one also cost $1.13.
Number of flavors provided by brand
Option 3, Orville Redenbacher, has the largest number of flavors available at 10 different flavors. Options 1 and 2, Act II and Kroger Brand, has the smallest variety of flavors provided at
5.
Option 1: Act II
Act II ties for the smallest number of different popcorn flavors at 5 different flavors.
Option 2: Kroger Brand
Kroger Brand popcorn ties with Act II for the smallest variety available with 5 flavors offered,
Option 3: Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher has the largest variety available on popcorn flavors. 10 different flavors of popcorn are provided.
Option 4: Pop Secret
Pop Secret is the middle ground on variety. They offer 6 different flavors of popcorn.
Popped kernels per bag
Option 3, Orville Redenbacher, has the highest number of popped kernels with 371 kernels. Pop
Secret has the least with 270 popped kernels.
Option 1: Act II
Act II has the second smallest amount of popped kernels per bag at 331.
Option 2: Kroger Brand
Kroger Brand has the second largest number of popped kernels at 355 popped kernels per bag.
Option 3: Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher has the largest quantity of popped kernels per bag at 371. Putting it 101 kernels above last place.

Option 4: Pop Secret
Pop Secret has the smallest number of popped kernels per bag with 270 kernels.
Amount of sodium per 2 tbsp. serving
We found the amount of sodium of 2 tablespoons of popcorn to compare the salt content of the popcorns. Orville Redenbacher had the least amount of sodium at 63 mg. Act II had the most at
280 mg.
Option 1: Act II
Act II has the highest amount of sodium at 280 mg per 2 tablespoons.
Option 2: Kroger Brand
Kroger Brand has the second highest amount of sodium at 270 mg per 2 tablespoons.
Option 3: Orville Redenbacher
Orville Redenbacher has the lowest amount of sodium at 63 mg per 2 tablespoons.
Option 4: Act II
Act II has the second lowest amount of sodium at 220 mg per 2 tablespoons. About 3 ½ times as much as the lowest.
Each of the four options has advantages and disadvantages. Option 1 (Act II) is a good middle ground popcorn. It allows for decent price and decent quality but doesn’t stand out in any criteria. Option 2 (Kroger Brand) was the cheapest brand evaluated but didn’t stand out in any other categories. Option 3 (Orville Redenbacher) has the highest rating in all categories except for price, but the price difference is large enough to give it a decent sized handicap. Option 4
(PopSecret) was another good middle ground popcorn, never really standing out in any of the criteria. Our evaluations put price as the definite highest priority while the other criteria take a back seat to that.
Because Option 2 provides the best price, we recommend purchasing Kroger Brand popcorn.
While Orville Redenbacher is a decent quality popcorn, the price makes it unreasonable for college students to purchase.