I find it funny that on their powder's product page[1], they champion themselves for "Transparent Labeling", and right under that put the "bad" stuff in barely legible grey.
I don't see this as a dark pattern or a malicious decision. Most of the stuff we buy don't explicitly say "It's not organic", "It's not allergen-free". I know they are minimizing this and putting the focus on the other column, but it looks more transparent than other companies in my opinion.
How is posting it clearly on their website minimizing the truth? As a reasonable person, don't you think that if they were trying to minimize the truth, they would just not include it like everyone else?
I’m not commenting on the posting on the website, I’m parsing the parent post’s assertion, wherein (s)he said they didn’t think using grey to minimize facts presented was a dark pattern. I question that logic. Obfuscation is a dark pattern IMO, even if gently applied (like in this case) because using any method to downplay facts is a deterrent to knowing the truth.
This is simply disingenuous. That's perfectly legible. Especially compared to the common practice of not posting it at all. I don't see how anyone can be upset at this.
Not to mention describing those traits as "bad". The second column casts the creators in a good light by suggesting that they value empiricism and science over snake-oil and magic.
1. https://www.soylent.com/product/powder/