Popcorn, air-popped: no butter added vs with added butter USDA FDC 2708219 vs 2708220
Per 100 g, no butter added reports 4.5 g total fat, while with added butter reports 15.3 g total fat.
The comparison uses two cited USDA records. Their complete source names, household portions, nutrient values, and FoodData Central links remain visible below.
Highlighted difference
Total fat at the same 100-gram weight
Bar length shows the two cited values on one shared denominator. It does not rank either food or establish why they differ.
-
4.5 g -
15.3 g
Shared basis: 100 g · g
Equal-weight evidence
Nutrition per 100 grams
Both columns use the same mass, which compares nutrient concentration without allowing the two representative source amounts to change the denominator. “A +” or “B +” reports the arithmetic difference between the cited values; it is not a quality score.
On smaller screens, focus a comparison table and scroll horizontally to read every column.
| Nutrient | A · Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added | B · Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 385 kcal | 430 kcal | B +45 kcal |
| Protein | 12.9 g | 11 g | A +1.9 g |
| Total fatMaterial difference | 4.5 g | 15.3 g | B +10.8 g |
| CarbohydrateMaterial difference | 77.5 g | 65.8 g | A +11.7 g |
| Dietary fiber | 14.4 g | 12.2 g | A +2.2 g |
| Total sugars | 0.9 g | 0.8 g | A +0.1 g |
| Sodium | 162 mg | 227 mg | B +65 mg |
| Saturated fatMaterial difference | 0.6 g | 5.5 g | B +4.8 g |
| Potassium | 328 mg | 282 mg | A +46 mg |
| Calcium | 7 mg | 9 mg | B +2 mg |
| Iron | 3.2 mg | 2.7 mg | A +0.5 mg |
Values come from the two cited USDA FoodData Central Survey Foods records. Feast does not average records, impute missing values, or infer a nutrient from the food name.
Read the table by question
The material primary-nutrient differences run in both directions: A is higher on 1, while B is higher on 1.
These answers describe concentration per 100 grams. “More” and “less” identify the arithmetic direction only; they do not decide which record is a better match or which food is better for a person.
Which reports fewer calories?
Record A
Record A reports 385 kcal, compared with 430 kcal in the other record—a difference of 45 kcal.
Which reports more protein?
Record A
Record A reports 12.9 g, compared with 11 g in the other record—a difference of 1.9 g.
Which reports more fiber?
Record A
Record A reports 14.4 g, compared with 12.2 g in the other record—a difference of 2.2 g.
Which reports less sodium?
Record A
Record A reports 162 mg, compared with 227 mg in the other record—a difference of 65 mg.
What differs in the source descriptions
The exact names carry information the numbers cannot.
USDA assigns both records to “Popcorn,” but the topic label is broad. Record A is “Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added.” Record B is “Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter.” Feast paired them because their contrast-neutral food identities are closely related (75% token overlap after controlled modifiers are set aside), not merely because they share a generic category.
The controlled name parser found 1 interpretable distinction. These labels organize wording already present in the names; they do not establish that a distinction caused a nutrient difference.
| Description dimension | Record A | Record B |
|---|---|---|
| Added-fat wording | no added fat | added fat; butter |
Even a clean name contrast can carry hidden companions. A fried record may also include coating; a restaurant record can use a different recipe; a reduced-sodium description can differ in more than salt; and a source amount can reflect a different reporting convention. That is why this page reports the complete pair rather than treating one word as an intervention.
Portion context
A representative source amount is not a shared “serving.”
Record A uses USDA reference amount at 20 g. Record B uses USDA reference amount at 28 g. Those labels and gram weights come from their respective records. They are useful for scaling the chosen profile, but they are not recommendations and need not describe equal amounts.
The representative amounts do not cross Feast’s material portion-difference threshold of both 15 grams and 20%. They are still separate source measures, so the 100-gram table remains the appropriate place for an equal-weight comparison.
A cup, piece, slice, sandwich, fillet, or fluid ounce can have different gram weights across records. A matching label is not enough: check the listed grams. If accuracy matters more than convenience, weighing the food or using a current package label can be more specific than a generic survey-food measure.
Record A measures
- 1 cup, popped8 g
- 1 cup, unpopped, yields135 g
- 1 oz, unpopped, yields19 g
- 1 kernel0 g
- USDA reference amount20 g
Record B measures
- 1 cup, popped11 g
- 1 cup, unpopped, yields211 g
- 1 oz, unpopped, yields25 g
- 1 kernel0 g
- USDA reference amount28 g
One shared household label
1 cup, popped: 8 g in A vs 11 g in B
The household label matches, but the source gram weights differ. These values scale each record by its own listed grams; they are practical portion context, not an equal-mass comparison.
| Nutrient | A · 8 g | B · 11 g |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 31 kcal | 47 kcal |
| Protein | 1 g | 1.2 g |
| Dietary fiber | 1.2 g | 1.3 g |
| Sodium | 13 mg | 25 mg |
USDA source formulation evidence
The listed inputs provide another way to audit the match.
FNDDS includes input-food rows behind each standardized survey-food record. Record A’s leading listed inputs include Snacks, popcorn, air-popped, Salt, table. Record B’s include Snacks, popcorn, air-popped, Table fat, NFS, Salt, table. Ingredient-code overlap is 67%, and normalized listed-input-weight variation is 15%.
Record A · 2 coded inputs
Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added
- Snacks, popcorn, air-poppedIngredient code 19034 · open source index99.6% of listed input weight
- Salt, tableIngredient code 2047 · open source index0.4% of listed input weight
Record B · 3 coded inputs
Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter
- Snacks, popcorn, air-poppedIngredient code 19034 · open source index84.5% of listed input weight
- Table fat, NFSIngredient code 81100000 · open source index15.2% of listed input weight
- Salt, tableIngredient code 2047 · open source index0.3% of listed input weight
2 shared coded inputs
The largest shared entries include Snacks, popcorn, air-popped, Salt, table. Shared codes can still carry different listed weights.
0 A-only and 1 B-only coded inputs
B-only entries include Table fat, NFS.
Important: repeated rows carrying the same ingredient code are combined before the shares and overlap are calculated. These weights belong to USDA’s source formulation: they are not a reconstructed plate, final cooked yield, visitor serving, ingredient declaration, or estimate of what is visible in a photo. USDA’s FNDDS documentation explains that these calculation recipes can represent multiple variants, may include retention or moisture adjustments, and are not product-label ingredient lists.
- NFS means “not further specified.” The record intentionally leaves the exact subtype, size, or preparation unresolved.
Choosing the closer record
Match context first; scale second.
- 01
Read both names literally
Compare cooking method, coating, edible skin or peel, sauce, additions, venue, source form, and food subtype. For this pair, the full A and B descriptions above are the evidence—not shortened search labels.
- 02
Use listed inputs as a check
If the name still leaves ambiguity, compare the leading and unique source inputs. They can reveal that two near names refer to meaningfully different standardized formulations, but they do not reconstruct your dish.
- 03
Choose an amount for that record
After choosing A or B, use its own named measure and gram weight. Do not transfer a cup, slice, or “typical amount” from the other record as if the measures were interchangeable.
- 04
Account for missing details
Brand, current restaurant recipe, cooking oil, drained weight, toppings, substitutions, and unfinished portions may not be captured. A label or weighed recipe can supersede a generic reference when it better matches the actual food.
Limits and responsible interpretation
This is a comparison of records, not a causal study.
The two records come from 2021–2023 FoodData Central Survey Foods data. The nutrient table faithfully compares their published values on the same weight basis. It does not measure two plates prepared at the same time, isolate one ingredient, or estimate the uncertainty around either value.
For this pair, the source names differ across 1 documented description dimension, while the listed formulations show 67% ingredient-code overlap and 15% normalized listed-weight variation. Moisture, ingredient proportions, preparation, and record construction can therefore move together. The page can describe the combined record difference; it cannot isolate the effect of one word.
A higher or lower number is not an overall verdict. Protein, fiber, sodium, energy, fat, micronutrients, preferences, allergies, budget, portion, and an individual’s goals answer different questions. Feast therefore reports directions and magnitudes without applying a universal “healthier” label.
This page is educational and does not diagnose a condition, prescribe a target, or replace advice from a qualified professional. For an allergy, medically directed diet, or strict ingredient limit, use verified ingredient information and guidance appropriate to that situation.
How this page qualified
A page is published only when the pair clears materiality and diversity gates.
Both records must occupy the same USDA survey-food topic and share a close food identity after a controlled vocabulary separates preparation, edible-part, source, claim, crust, and sauce wording. Exact contrast-neutral identities receive priority. Close ingredient or form substitutions can qualify when name overlap remains high and the numerical evidence is material.
For primary nutrients, Feast requires both an absolute and relative difference: at least 20 kcal and 12% for energy; 2 g and 18% for protein or fat; 5 g and 15% for carbohydrate; 1 g and 20% for fiber; 4 g and 20% for sugars; or 100 mg and 20% for sodium. A focused one-nutrient pair also needs a material representative-amount or formulation distinction. Rounding-only pairs are not published.
Unordered FDC IDs define a canonical pair, so reversing A and B cannot create another page. Each source record can appear twice at most, each USDA topic contributes no more than 40 pages, and closely repeated identity families are capped. Those rules produced a selective comparison library rather than every mathematical combination in the corpus.
Read the complete nutrition-page methodology for import, nutrient mapping, portion scaling, Daily Value, and uncertainty rules.
Decision support from the exact records on this page
Turn source data into a better next decision
These conclusions and reading paths are computed from 2 exact records behind Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added versus Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter. Links are chosen by record identity, controlled contrast, formulation input, nutrient spread, or serving context—not by loose keyword similarity.
Equal-weight result
Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter is higher in total fat per 100 g
Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter reports 15.3 g versus 4.5 g for Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added: a 10.8 g difference when both are normalized to 100 g.
Inspect the underlying evidenceThe denominator changes the answer
Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added is denser; Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter is higher in its source amount
Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added reports 12.9 g per 100 g and 2.6 g in USDA source amount (20 g). Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter reports a lower 11 g per 100 g but a higher 3.1 g in USDA source amount (28 g).
Record identity is part of the estimate
Distinguish “Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added” from “Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter”
These are separate USDA records with separate formulations or survey descriptions. Match preparation, additions, and the named household amount before borrowing either record’s nutrients.
Inspect the underlying evidenceContextual knowledge graph
Follow the relationship that matches your question
For Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added versus Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter, each path states why the destination belongs here, so you can distinguish a true evidentiary connection from a merely similar label.
Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added and Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter are explicitly linked in this guide, which separates direct name matches from contextual variants.
Follow this evidence path A formulation detail that separates records Table fat, NFSUSDA input 81100000 appears in 1 of 2 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 18–18 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.
Follow this evidence path 2 context records in this source topic PopcornPopcorn, air-popped, no butter added and Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter belong to this USDA source-category collection. Its displayed ranges and complete exact-record catalog provide the peer set for a manual comparison; the destination does not preselect this page’s record.
Follow this evidence path A shared source-formulation input Salt, tableUSDA input 2047 appears in 2 of 2 context records; its summed listed input weight spans 0.4–0.4 g across those source formulations. These are source-formulation input weights, not plated or serving weights. Follow the code to inspect every represented occurrence.
Follow this evidence path Inspect an exact record Popcorn, air-popped, no butter addedOpen the full nutrient table, household measures, formulation inputs, and FoodData Central 2708219 citation for this exact record—not a name-level average.
Follow this evidence path Check another exact record Popcorn, air-popped, with added butterOpen the full nutrient table, household measures, formulation inputs, and FoodData Central 2708220 citation for this exact record—not a name-level average.
Follow this evidence path Put the observed spread in corpus context Vitamin D: density and serving contextIn this page’s records, vitamin D runs from 0 µg in Popcorn, air-popped, no butter added to 0.3 µg in Popcorn, air-popped, with added butter, all per 100 g.
Follow this evidence path