Movie theaters don't want you to know how many calories are in the popcorn and that's why they are resisting FDA attempts at requiring disclosures. If the FDA required scales in front of the popcorn counters, or that all popcorn be sold with free carrots, I might side with the theaters, but requiring one of those small nutritional information panels on the back of the popcorn bucket -- eaten in a darkened theater -- hardly seems oppressive to me.

I'm all for free choice and I don't want to take away anyone's jumbo popcorn as they go to the movies -- unless, of course, I get to eat some of it.

The Associated Press reports that America's largest popcorn maker, ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG), has been poisoning the lungs of its popcorn plant workers and will take its time solving the problem. Specifically, ConAgra will change the recipe for its Orville Redenbacher and Act II brands over the next year to remove the flavoring chemical diacetyl, linked to a lung ailment in popcorn plant workers.

The decision comes a day after a doctor at a leading lung research hospital said in a warning letter to federal regulators that consumers, not just factory workers, may be in danger from fumes from buttery flavoring in microwave popcorn.

The timing of this decision suggests that ConAgra has no problem poisoning its workers. But it seems to care a bit more about poisoning its customers. After all, if all its customers get lung disease and die, who will pay for the popcorn? I guess ConAgra feels comfortable that its employees can always be replaced.

I wonder whether ConAgra is concerned that its employees will sue the company for unsafe working conditions? Or will microwave popcorn eaters will rise up and sue ConAgra for lung poisoning? Meanwhile ConAgra's planned slow pace of replacing the flavoring chemical guarantees that I will keep its products out of my kitchen for a long, long time.

Peter Cohan is President of Peter S. Cohan & Associates. He also teaches management at Babson College and edits The Cohan Letter.