The many lives of popcorn: The new packaging “peanuts”? Or investor incentive?
A group of German researchers is trying to develop an alternative to those Styrofoam packaging “peanuts.” They think smart popcorn can take their place, albeit popcorn with a thin coating of “bioplastic.” According to Fast Company, corn discarded from cornflake production is steam-expanded (popping by another name). And the researchers say it will be compostable but not edible. In other popcorn developments, movie-theater operator AMC is guaranteeing new investors a salty snack/perk. Individual shareholders will get a free jumbo popcorn when they return to the actual cinema. We doubt this is why AMC stock has recently soared, even if MarketWatch seems to imply the company’s stock value going up more than 400 percent since May has something to do with this offer. Sounds like it’s only a one-time offer; perhaps high-rollers get unlimited buckets with extra butter, free passes, or private screenings.
