# Weasel words in advertising/packaging **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564 "2017-03-06T18:52:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/81 "2017-03-09T01:23:11Z")
> [@Tranquilis](#): > > … the Gummi Bears that are sitting on my desk… > > Fat free, gluten free. Still bad for you. True, BUT I don’t have a problem with the product saying it’s gluten-free if it is, so that people who need to know that can make an informed decision if they want a treat. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/82 "2017-03-09T01:38:24Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > True, BUT I don’t have a problem with the product saying it’s gluten-free if it is, so that people who need to know that can make an informed decision if they want a treat. Fair enough, but realistically, the declaration is aimed squarely at making the product seem less unhealthy than it really is. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/83 "2017-03-09T01:53:28Z")
I saw one at the grocery store that really cracked me up. It was some cleaning product, like dish soap. The label proclaimed, in big, bold, bright lettering: 50% Bigger!\* and in microscopic type: \*than our 24 oz. size Of course, it was priced roughly 50% higher than the smaller bottle. Somebody else mentioned “Serving Suggestion”, which I have always understood to mean that, say, that package of ramen doesn’t include the meat and vegetables depicted on the packaging. However, I did find it somewhat hilarious when, at work, I was looking at the picture on the side of a can of cooking pan spray. It was a photo of an omelet sliding out of a pan, with the words, “Serving Suggestion”. Just in case somebody thought they might get an omelet out of an aerosol can. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/84 "2017-03-09T01:58:57Z")
“Gluten Free” on a package of corn chips strikes me as perfectly reasonable, given that (for instance) corn muffin mix _isn’t_ gluten free (it’s mostly corn, but has some wheat mixed in, precisely because the gluten makes it a much better product for non-celiacs). I can certainly imagine a chip made from a combination of corn and wheat flour, and so it’s relevant if this particular chip isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/85 "2017-03-09T15:01:20Z")
And of course the popular “celebrity spokesperson.” If you gave me what people give celebrities to endorse a product, this non-driniking vegetarian would pitch _coq au vin_. And “experts” who have no background in their field. Andrew Wakefield and his anti-vax stance. And electrician David Reardon, anti-abortion expert. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/86 "2017-03-09T15:06:44Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And “experts” who have no background in their field. Andrew Wakefield and his anti-vax stance. And electrician David Reardon, anti-abortion expert. You mean like neurosurgeon Ben Carson, secretary of HUD? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/87 "2017-03-09T15:24:43Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > However, I did find it somewhat hilarious when, at work, I was looking at the picture on the side of a can of cooking pan spray. It was a photo of an omelet sliding out of a pan, with the words, “Serving Suggestion”. Just in case somebody thought they might get an omelet out of an aerosol can. Heck, I wouldn’t put it past some fool to expect to get a frying pan out of the can. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/88 "2017-03-11T22:31:31Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > And of course, “Gluten Free!!!”… water, corn chips, meat, and candy. I was in an elevator in a building that had medical offices and a café, and there was a sign advertising their new Gluten-Free WiFi! (It was two badly-paced advertisements side by side, but it made me think for a moment…) > [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I recently noticed that the nutrition information for a frozen pizza was for 1/5 of a pizza. :smack: Who eats 1/5 of a pizza, anyway? There’s a pizza place near the co-op that has a sign offering, “If you don’t like your pizza, get another one for free!” If I don’t like the first one, why would I like the second? 🙂 > [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > As a kid I read the Asterix books, set in Julius Caesar’s time. Our heroes hitch a ride with some Phoenecians. Upon arriving in port, the captain yells “hoist the flag”. The flag says, “Going out of business! Clearance Sale!” I remember that book. Had it as a kid in both French and English, and later in Esperanto. There’s another scene where Astérix and the rest of the story’s heroes return to the port and meet the Phoenician, and he’s in another ship. The conversation goes something like, “What happened to the first ship?” “The captain sold it. He was a better salesman than sailsman.” 🙂 (Now _there’s_ a hard-to-translate joke…) ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/89 "2017-03-14T04:32:07Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > “Natural”. Doesn’t mean anything, either legally or logically. I guess anything that’s not supernatural is natural. This is a big one. It is seriously fraudulent. Surveys show that most people think it is something like organic, which actually has a legal definition. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/90 "2017-03-14T04:39:49Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > True, BUT I don’t have a problem with the product saying it’s gluten-free if it is, so that people who need to know that can make an informed decision if they want a treat. The point is about putting that label on food products that _never_ contained gluten in the first place. Is putting “gluten free” labels on bottled water\* an example of giving consumers what info they need to make “informed decisions”, _or_ is it simply a cynical move on the part of a company trying to profit from people’s stupidity and ignorance? \*ftr, I’ve seen this myself. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/91 "2017-03-14T04:48:17Z")
My dentist says there are studies showing that xylitol actually is good at killing the bacteria that cause plaque and ultimately tartar. He has me brushing with xylitol and suggests that chewing gum sweetened with xylitol (“sugarless” gum) after a meal isn’t a bad idea because it kills bacteria and pulls food residue off the teeth. He’s against a LOT of gum chewing because he thinks too much of the mechanical action is ultimately bad for teeth and jaw. So there’s that. He says there’s science behind it, I haven’t tried to double check that. When I was a magazine fact-checker (back when such existed) our favorite weasel phrase was “one of the.” The article author says X is the tallest man in the world! Turns our X measures out at 4’ 10". He’s still “one of the” tallest men in the world! ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/92 "2017-03-14T05:24:50Z")
(slight) hijack: youre all having good fun pointing out the weasel words and bickering about the difference between organic and gmo; and i recognize many of the usernames as those who often tout the benefits of the free market. but answer me this: how can you have a “free” market when manufacturers, packagers, retailers, and advertisers are **actively** trying to deceive, obfuscate, and coerce consumers? as you were. mc ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/93 "2017-03-14T14:41:15Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > Stop looking at them. Their oft-repeated phrase is “Save 15% or more on car insurance,” despite the meme that “Save up to…” starts that phrase. The true weasel is in the whole phrase. “Drivers who switched to Lizard Insurance saved X% on their car insurance!” Well, duh. If it didn’t save a particular person money, that person didn’t switch. The phrase, though, misleads you by implying that _anyone_ who switches automatically saves money, which is not the case. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/94 "2017-03-15T00:05:23Z")
This one is generally food “Style”. As in no our food is not kosher. It’s “kosher style”. One ad that seems to be in every commercial break on the local news radio station is perhaps the shadiest I’ve ever heard. It includes the claim that the investment it touts is used by “Investors like Warren Buffet.”. They very markedly do not say that Buffet uses their investment scheme. They just say investors LIKE Buffet do. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/95 "2017-03-15T10:56:16Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > but answer me this: how can you have a “free” market when manufacturers, packagers, retailers, and advertisers are **actively** trying to deceive, obfuscate, and coerce consumers? I don’t understand where you see the conflict–“free market” means “free to sell any damn thing you please any damn way you please.” That includes lies. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/96 "2017-03-15T14:13:37Z")
We have a juice company up here that markets real fruit juices and juice-based beverages (cranberry cocktail, etc.). They’ve been shifting towards the cheap end, of course. So now their packages say: **100% Juice** and other ingredients ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/97 "2017-03-15T14:28:02Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > I’ve always loved “4 out of 5 dentists recommend sugarless gum to their patients who chew gum” line. > > So, 80% of dentists aren’t recommending Trident, or even really sugarless gum in general, unless you are a chewer already. And 20% just don’t care. Actually I’ve heard that the 20% recommend that their patients who chew gum, stop. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/98 "2017-03-15T14:31:58Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > You’ve just reminding me of another one, fruit juice and fruit juice _drink_, the former being what it says and the latter could be possibly flavoured like the fruit in question. Or fruit juice _cocktail_ (100% JUICE!). it will have some of the juice in question, but mostly, it’s apple or white grape juice. I’d love to be able to find a half gallon of pure cranberry juice at the supermarket some time. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/99 "2017-03-15T14:37:57Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > No. > > In order to call something the best, you must provide the FTC with documented proof that you’re better. That’s a difficult standard, so few companies do it. > > The major exception is Hellmann’s Mayonnaise. They market it as Best Foods Mayonnaise in the west, so they can say “bring out the Best” because they argue they aren’t making a claim it’s best, but that it’s Best Foods. Well, the jingle goes _“Bring out the Best Foods **and** bring out the Best!”_ The “and” tells me that they’re making the claim; maybe they’ve persuaded the FTC that they’re just being redundant. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2017, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564/100 "2017-03-15T14:42:44Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > And of course, “Gluten Free!!!”… water, corn chips, meat, and candy. …automobile tires, DVDs, novels… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weasel-words-in-advertising-packaging/781564.md?page=6)