Food Quote by Barry Schwartz
““We give disproportionate weight to whether yogurt is said to be five percent fat or 95 percent fat free. People seem to think that yogurt that is 95 percent fat free is a more healthful product than yogurt that has five percent fat.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New York Times, “The Psychology of Choice,” 2007
People misinterpret nutritional labels, assuming “95 % fat‑free” is healthier than “5 % fat,” despite identical fat content.
In simple terms: Label phrasing misleads health judgments.
Key Takeaway
Read nutrition facts, not just marketing claims.
Themes
nutrition
perception
decision‑making
Mood
cautious
inquisitive
Type
informative
analytical
When to use this quote
- grocery shopping
- diet planning
- food marketing
- health counseling
Key Concepts
cognitive bias
framing effect
health literacy
Questions to Reflect On
- Do you check the actual nutrient amounts?
- How does framing affect your food choices?
A Different Perspective
Marketing can exploit framing, leading to poor choices.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
