Raisin bran

Breakfast cereal containing raisins and bran flakes

Raisin bran (sultana bran in some countries;^[2] see sultana grape) is a breakfast cereal containing raisins and bran flakes. Raisin bran is manufactured by several companies under a variety of brand names, including the popularly known Kellogg's Two Scoops Raisin Bran, General Mills' Total Raisin Bran, and Post Cereals' Raisin Bran. Though Raisin Bran is generally perceived as a healthier alternative to more sugary cereals, most popular brands of raisin bran contain high amounts of sugar.^[3]

History

Skinner's Raisin-BRAN was the first raisin bran brand on the market, introduced in the United States in 1926 by the Skinner Manufacturing Company.^[4] For 17 years, Skinner had ownership over the product's name, until Kellogg's and Post began to sell their own versions of raisin bran.^[5] With concerns of losing money within grocery store sales, Skinner filed a cease-and-desist in an attempt to keep ownership over his raisin bran product.^[5]

The name "Raisin-BRAN" was at one time trademarked by Skinner, however in 1944 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found:

The name "Raisin-BRAN" could not be appropriated as a trade-mark, because: "A name which is merely descriptive of the ingredients, qualities or characteristics of an article of trade cannot be appropriated as a trademark and the exclusive use of it afforded legal protection. The use of a similar name by another to truthfully describe his own product does not constitute a legal or moral wrong, even if its effect be to cause the public to mistake the origin or ownership of the product."^[4]

Now, any brand or manufacturer may create their own version of raisin bran and name it just that.^[5]

Ingredients

Ingredients vary from producer to producer, market to market and over time.

In 2020 Kellogg's raisin bran in the United States contains the following ingredients: whole grain wheat, raisins, wheat bran, sugar, brown sugar syrup, malt flavor, salt, and assorted vitamins and minerals.^[6][7] The cereal's vitamin D3 supplementation is made from lanolin, which is an animal product, rendering it as a non-vegan breakfast cereal.^[8][9]

Health

Raisin bran cereal is commonly referred to as a "healthy" breakfast cereal because of its high fiber content, but according to Consumer Reports, Kellogg's Raisin Bran, for example, has a low nutrition rating.^[3]

In 1991, Kellogg's complained that the guidelines for the USDA's supplemental assistance WIC program did not allow for the purchase of Kellogg's Raisin Bran for containing too much sugar.^[10] Currently, with 17 grams of sugar per cup, it has a higher content of sugar than Lucky Charms, Reese's Puffs, and Cocoa Krispies (all known to be "sugary" cereals).^[11]

A serving of Kellogg's Raisin Bran provides 80% of the Daily Value of manganese and 6% of the Daily Value of potassium, both important nutrients for the body.^[12]

Research suggests that eating commercially produced raisin bran containing sugared raisins produces acid which can lead to cavities, while home-made raisin bran, created by adding plain, unsugared raisins to bran flakes, produces less of this acid.^[13]

While Kellogg's sultana bran received 4.5 stars out of 5 on the Australian Government's Health Star Rating System,^[14] sugar is the fourth largest ingredient after wheat, sultanas and wheat bran.^[15]

Manufacturers

Other smaller manufacturers exist worldwide.

• Kellogg's – Split into the following two companies in 2023:
  • Kellanova – While consisting mostly of the snack food business of the original Kellogg's, it continues to manufacture and sell cereals, including raisin bran, outside North America.
  • WK Kellogg Co – The North American cereal division of the original Kellogg's, operating in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean.
• Post Consumer Brands
• General Mills

See also

• Muesli – Breakfast dish based on raw rolled oats

References

1. https://www.raisinbran.com/en_US/raisin-bran-cereal-flavors/kellogg-s-raisin-bran-cereal-product.html?bvstate=pg:7/ct:r ^{[bare URL]}
2. "What Is a Sultana?". wiseGEEK. Retrieved 2014-03-13.
3. "Cereals That Aren't as Healthy as They Sound - Consumer Reports News". www.consumerreports.org. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
4. Skinner v. Kellogg 143 F.2d 895. August 4, 1944.
5. Dockter, Mason (15 November 2017). "A brief history of a raisin bran conflict". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
6. "SmartLabel". smartlabel.kelloggs.com. Retrieved 2020-06-17.^{[dead link]}
7. "Raisin Bran Deconstructed - Sugar and Fiber Math". HuffPost. 2010-06-28. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
8. Cudmore, Dale (2019-01-18). "Is Kellogg's Raisin Bran Cereal Vegan?". VegFAQs. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
9. "Animal-Derived Ingredients Resource | Living". PETA. 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
10. "Kellogg Raisin' a Fuss; Cereal Maker Says WIC Food Guidelines Barring Bran as Too Sugary Are All Wet". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
11. "Worst Cereals | Cancer Survivors Network". csn.cancer.org. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 2019-11-18.
12. "SmartLabel". smartlabel.kelloggs.com. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
13. "Bran flakes with raisins and added sugar promote plaque acid". 19 December 2009.
14. Han, Esther (20 April 2015). "Food health star ratings: Kellogg's reveals the cereal that gets 1.5 stars". The Sydney Morning Herald.
15. https://www.kelloggs.com.au/en_AU/products/sultana-bran-product.html ^{[bare URL]}

External links

• Raisin Bran (Post Consumer Brands)
• Raisin Bran (Kellogg's) (US)
• A quantitative analysis of Kellogg's Raisin Bran (Science Creative Quarterly)