Advertising is incredibly misleading. Take, for instance, the phrase "98% Fat Free". When this statement is applied to a single item, say, a pound of meat, this makes sense. 98% of the contents of the package is meat, while 2% is fat. When this statement is applied to a composition of multiple items, say, an Uncle Ben's frozen rice bowl, it makes less sense. Most of the contents of the package are rice, which should contain no fat anyway. So does the 98% apply to the rice also? What is it 98% less than, a bowl of pure animal fat? And is it 98% less by weight or volume? 98% sounds like a big number, it must be good for you regardless.

Posted by: Brian at June 13, 2005 9:15 AM