personified ... by trying to argue that

[Ostap]

Too many companies are following woke Unilever and sacrificing profit and performance for lofty talk of pursuing sustainability and social purpose, personified, said a leading critical investor, Terry Smith, by trying to argue that the purpose of Hellmann’s mayonnaise was to further healthy eating.

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Hello. Could you explain to me the meaning of the highlighted part? How does "personify" belong in the sentence and who "tries to argue"?

 

[Skrej]

Terry Smith is claiming that the act of sacrificing profit and performance for the sake of 'wokeness' is exemplified (personified) by Hellmann's mayonnaise claiming the purpose of their product is to further healthy eating. See definition #2 for personified.

The idea being put forth is that it's ridiculous for a product like mayonnaise to claim to have any purpose beyond just being a condiment, so Hellman's claim otherwise has been chosen as a prime example of the extremes companies have gone to in an effort to join the woke movement.

Mayonnaise of course is far from healthy because it's mostly just pure oil, with egg yolks and an acid such as lemon or vinegar. In moderation it's fine, but to claim a product that's 90% oil has a sole 'purpose' of promoting healthy eating is kind of silly.