This Jar of Peanut Butter Costs $761

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This is Standard Reference Material No. 2387. It’s the finest peanut butter in the world—from a purely scientific point of view. The National Institute of Standards of Technology, an office of the US Department of Commerce, uses it as a baseline when analyzing the chemical properties of peanut butters. In 2003, New York Times food critic William Grimes got to the chance to sample this government-manufactured delicacy. He writes:

The government's peanut butter tastes a lot better than it looks, which is like dark-brown industrial paste. I wasn't sure whether to eat it or lay down some new bathroom tile. As a food product, it seemed to aim for dead average. The peanut flavor was muted, and it lacked the creamy, unctuous quality of storebought brands. If you like peanut butter to stick to the roof of your mouth, this is one for you.

At that price, I would hope so. For as Nicole Wakelin of That’s Nerdalicious writes, “choosy Moms choose Standard Reference Material No. 2387.”


I spend $100-200 per liter for optical grade alcohol, and that hasn't even been assayed by a standards body. People are more used to expensive alcohols existing, not so much for peanut butter. Then again, I haven't checked the price of peanut butter in some of the hipster food markets that make Whole Foods look cheap.
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