Why The World's Most Expensive Peanut Butter Costs Well Over A Grand

The most expensive peanut butter in the world comes in a very plain package. And there aren't any super fancy ingredients like the gold leaf or diamond flakes found in Serendipity 3's Diamond Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, the world's most expensive drinking chocolate with a $250,000 price tag. By comparison, the peanut butter is a steal at only $1,217. And for that price you get not one 170 gram package, but three. So why does this peanut butter cost so much?

At the top of the label you'll find the words "Standard Reference Material" and near the bottom the name of this nut butter's producer: National Institute of Standards and Technology. This is the key to the cost. This isn't just any peanut butter. It's the peanut butter by which all other peanut butter is judged, whether it's a well-known brand like Jif or a generic brand like Walmart's Great Value (which is just as good as the name brand, by the way). At least when it comes to the all-important label on the back of food packages that list the content's nutritional values, which is overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Companies buy this peanut butter to make sure their testing equipment is working properly.

Food manufacturers that either make peanut butter or use peanut butter as an ingredient in their products are required by law to test it so they can accurately list the nutrition information on the back of the food item. It's been the law in the United States since 1990, when Congress passed the Nutritional Labeling and Education Act. The label is there to help you be more informed about exactly what you're getting. Food companies buy the NIST peanut butter and use it to make sure their testing methods and equipment are accurate. If their testing results on the NIST peanut butter don't jibe with the government's, they know the equipment is off.

Although the typical consumers for this special peanut butter are nut butter manufacturers and the like, regular folks (if they so desire) can also purchase this peanut butter. Though if you're into extravagant spending on food, there's always Byakuya, the world's most expensive gelato from Japan that's filled with Italian white truffles and edible gold leaf and costs more than $6,000 a serving. The government-produced nut butter may be cheaper, but it's definitely not as fancy. Maybe just stick to some store-bought peanut butter and Ben & Jerry's instead.