# What's the most expensive food in the supermarket (per ounce)?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 3, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414 "2005-08-03T13:30:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/1 "2005-08-03T13:30:55Z")
My guess is Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. It’s currently at around $18/lb, which would be $1.12/ounce. Any other ideas?
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/2 "2005-08-03T13:32:48Z")
Saffron.
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### Author:  [@slaphead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slaphead)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/3 "2005-08-03T13:38:45Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> Saffron.
That’s definitely the one. According to this random [site](http://www.foodreference.com/html/artsaffron.html) turned up by google, saffron retails between $600-$2000 per pound, which tops any precious metal. It’s sold by the gramme.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/4 "2005-08-03T13:39:47Z")
Definitely saffron. I’ve seen $28-35 an ounce quoted as a bargain.
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### Author:  [@Thin\_Lizzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Lizzy)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/5 "2005-08-03T13:40:02Z")
Hell yeah. I saw saffron in the store, one sprig was like $16.00
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### Author:  [@Carnac\_the\_Magnificent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carnac_the_Magnificent)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/6 "2005-08-03T13:42:04Z")
**Harder question:** What is the SECOND most-expensive food item?
I’m betting vanilla or cardamon/m
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### Author:  [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/7 "2005-08-03T13:43:20Z")
I’m just mad about s…nevermind.
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### Author:  [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/8 "2005-08-03T13:46:29Z")
I agree-Saffron.
[Penzey’s](http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyssaffron.html) (which has reasonable prices) has the lower grade stuff at $33.95/oz and the good stuff is at $57.95/oz!
Luckily a tiny bit of saffron goes a very, very long way.
Fenris
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### Author:  [@Capa84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capa84)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/9 "2005-08-03T13:49:45Z")
Safron oil is used in the synthesis of MDMA…does this have any bearing on it’s cost? (DEA oversight, etc?)
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### Author:  [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/10 "2005-08-03T13:53:17Z")
Do they actually sell saffron in your local supermarket?
Vanilla extract is a good one. I think it’s $4-5 for an ounce bottle.
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### Author:  [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/11 "2005-08-03T13:54:37Z")
Truffles must be right up there, too. (But I guess you would rarely see them in a Super Market.?
Some caviar is quite pricey, as well.
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### Author:  [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/12 "2005-08-03T13:58:17Z")
> [@Capa84](#):
>
> Safron oil is used in the synthesis of MDMA…does this have any bearing on it’s cost? (DEA oversight, etc?)
I doubt it - it’s harvested by hand, teeny little things from flowers.
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### Author:  [@Atomic\_Banana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Banana)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/13 "2005-08-03T14:00:51Z")
> [@SmackFu](#):
>
> Do they actually sell saffron in your local supermarket?
Check the spice aisle. I’ve always seen it as a regular sized spice jar that’s mostly air with a few sprigs of the stuff on the bottom. It sells for like 5-6 dollars and unless the stuff is really strong, I can’t imagine getting more than one use out of the jar. I’m not sure though, as I’ve never wanted to blow 5-6 dollars to try.
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/14 "2005-08-03T14:42:21Z")
> [@slaphead](#):
>
> saffron retails between $600-$2000 per pound, which tops any precious metal.
At $2000/lb, I’ll be happy to buy all the gold or platinum you care to sell.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/15 "2005-08-03T14:44:21Z")
They occasionally sell truffles at my supermarket. They go for about $300 per ounce.
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### Author:  [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/16 "2005-08-03T14:59:37Z")
There’s no question the answer if saffron, and most of that is because its more of a cost per stamen (little red string). It would then take hundreds of those little stamens make an ounce. I just saw a [site](http://www.suttonsbayspices.com/Spices_and_Herbs/21597.html) that was selling it for about $175/oz.
Vanilla is supposed to be the second most expensive, but that refers more to the pure product (the little seeds within the pod) and not really the vanilla extract you see in little bottles (which contains pure vanilla mixed with alcohol and would thus weigh more).
Caviar can run you 1 oz/28 gr. $157.50 for Iranian Beluga.
Truffles might cost about $1500 for a kilogram, but that’s about $42/oz.
The cost of pine nuts tends to be insane due to the complications when harvesting. But a good point here might be the fact that you would never use an ounce of saffron, caviar, or truffles, but I dumped a few ounces of pine nuts into my pesto the other day.
Good cheese can cost around $30-40 per kilogram, but that quickly becomes about $1.15/oz.
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### Author:  [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/17 "2005-08-03T15:54:09Z")
My supermarket occasionally sells Chantrelle mushrooms at $230-$50 a lb.
Some of the better liquor is probably up there.
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### Author:  [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/18 "2005-08-03T16:01:58Z")
> [@SmackFu](#):
>
> Do they actually sell saffron in your local supermarket?
Saffron at mine is in a little plastic disk. $2.59 / half gram, which according to the shelf tag works out to $59 / oz. That’s the most expensive product (per ounce) that we sell. The second in line among all products would probably be among the cosmetics, some of which is $19.99 for a half-oz bottle, but the next-in-line food would almost definitely be the canned caviar or foie gras.
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### Author:  [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/19 "2005-08-03T16:11:23Z")
> [@Bambi Hassenpfeffer](#):
>
> Saffron at mine is in a little plastic disk. $2.59 / half gram, which according to the shelf tag works out to $59 / oz. That’s the most expensive product (per ounce) that we sell.
Hm. Checking some math here, I realize that the shelf tag may be wrong. I am also running in 3 hours of sleep, so it may be just me.
$2.59 / half gram = $5.18 / gram = $5.18 / 0.0352739619 g / oz ~= **$146.85 / ounce.** Far and away the most expensive product. BTW, that’d be **$2,349.61** a pound.
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### Author:  [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)
#### Post date: [August 3, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-food-in-the-supermarket-per-ounce/315414/20 "2005-08-03T16:24:44Z")
> [@Xema](#):
>
> At $2000/lb, I’ll be happy to buy all the gold or platinum you care to sell.
Heh heh. I was about to make the same offer. Hell, i’ll give him $3000/lb. 🙂
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