As a vegan, when shopping for food, one of the most frustrating terms I run into is Plant Based.
It doesn't really tell anyone anything, and doesn't tell me if I can eat it, so I have to pause and google.
First world problems? Maybe... But I feel like it goes to the larger "Greenwashing" problem where trying to pitch something as eco friendly is soley done to get sales. Mainly, dishonest marketing.
Plant based doesn't mean that there are no animal products. It doesn't mean that it's organic or healthy. It's an industry term, not a regulated term (to the best of my knowledge.)
So what is it? It's marketing to say something is healthy when it may or many not be. It's manipulative.
<- Rant beast
It's frustrating to me as someone who eats a whole food plant based diet. (Well, not so much this past summer, but I'm coming back to it.
WFPB is more accurate to my way of eating because it excludes processed and junk food that's technically vegan. (Also, my main motivation is health rather than ethics, so vegan doesn't really apply.)
But it's been adopted commercially, and, as you say, is pretty meaningless labelling without the "whole food" part.