Well, the supermarkets know know what the effect of their product placement is. If they change it, the customer buys different things, on average.

So, we can say it's reasonable for people to do some research and pick the yoghurt they consider best, but we know most people don't do that. And that supermarkets prefer to give the best spots to sugary yoghurts.

What's wrong with doing the research once for the average person and then regulating the supermarkets so they give those the eye level space? People can still make different choices if they want.

It could be the result is people buy more danishes and doughnuts from the bakery section for breakfast instead of now harder to find sweetened yoghurt.

Can we believe that consumers have any agency at all?

Like maybe the reason there are 200 varieties of single serve cups is that people like them.

The amount of work the consumer puts in is matched by food makers. You'll see the deceptive marketing on so many foods. "No sugar added" no longer means no added sweetening agent. It means that sugar was replaced by alternative sweeteners.

It's exhausting being a consumer these days.

Are we still talking about yogurt? I do not find it difficult or have to put in any work to buy low sugar yogurt. I buy large amounts of full fat zero added sugar Greek yogurt and yogurt cups with 2g of added sugar and there are always multiple options clearly labeled on the shelf among all the other more sugary options.

Sure. In the Kroger app when I search for “plain yogurt” the first result is yoplait vanilla flavored yogurt. I wish I could share the screenshot because it’s so ridiculous.

If the issue was only about choices adults make about their own bodies and there were no externalities from those choices, then IMO it would of course be reasonable.

I think the point is more that the norm is sugary, and so it's necessary to do what you describe to find plain (not to say 'normal') yoghurt.