Kathrine Frich
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently launched a YouTube project called The Real Food Show.
Everyone loves a good kitchen trick when money gets tight.
Politicians constantly share clever ways to feed a family without emptying a bank account.
But reality at the checkout line rarely matches those cheerful promises.
The five dollar promise
Taking to the internet, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently launched a YouTube project called The Real Food Show. The official wants to prove that citizens can cook nutritious meals on a tiny budget.
An episode featured crispy salmon cakes with beans and a salad. “So the servings of each of these, we asked to keep it under $5,” Kennedy said.
CNN reporter Tom Foreman decided to put those claims to the test. He grabbed a shopping cart and visited a major grocery chain.
Supermarket shock
Trouble began almost immediately in the aisles. “When we started buying ingredients used in the show, even going for the lowest prices at a big competitive chain, the cost heated up fast,” Foreman said, according to Mediaite.
The main protein instantly destroyed the budget. The broadcast listed wild-caught sockeye salmon at just $8.99. Foreman actually paid over $24 for the cheapest frozen option available.
He soon discovered a glaring flaw in how the program calculated its receipt. The creators only counted the tiny fractions of food cooked in the pan.
Math does not work
“Getting the whole onion cost us more than a dollar,” Foreman explained. He noted that the recipe priced the vegetable at a mere eight cents.
That same tricky logic applied to expensive condiments. The avocado mayonnaise cost over $11, even though the politicians priced a few spoonfuls at 40 cents. “They’re only pricing parts of it. And grocery stores don’t sell things that way,” the reporter added.
Health officials defended their numbers to the network. They insisted this approach reflects standard recipe costing, meant to help citizens stock up on quality ingredients.
A hefty final bill
Foreman admitted the finished meal looked great. The actual cash required to make it happen told a completely different story.
Gathering all the required items cost a staggering $70.54 at the register. That figure completely shatters the promise of feeding a family of four for under twenty bucks.
“Nobody is against helping people save money,” Foreman told host Boris Sanchez. “But I’m telling you, Boris, I tried. I couldn’t make it work.”
Sources: CNN, Mediaite
