By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times

“What? It’s for sure HaAdama!”

“What are you talking about? It’s Mezonos!”

“Well, my Rabbi says that whatever you say is okay.”

The issue of course, is granola bars – particularly General Mills Nature Valley Granola Bars – now in some 25 different versions (not all of them kosher).

BRIEF HISTORY

Before we discuss the halachic aspects of these bars, let’s embark upon a brief history of the granola product.

Dr. James Caleb Jackson (1811-1895), from upstate New York, was the inventor of the first modern breakfast cereal. He called it “Granula” from the word, “granule.” Dr. Jackson was originally a newspaper publisher, but took ill and was forced into early retirement. He eventually became a believer in mineral spring healing and took over the Our Home Hygienic Institute in Dansville. Aside from mineral water healing, Dr. Jackson believe that proper diet was the key to improving health. He fed his patients a diet that emphasized fruits, vegetables and unprocessed grains – particularly Graham flour.

Graham flour is slightly different than whole wheat flower. Whole wheat keeps the endosperm, the brush, the germ and the bran as does Graham flour. Graham flour doesn’t sift it at all in the milling process and leaves it course. Unlike whole wheat flour.

Doc Jackson developed “Granula” from Graham flour. Granula consisted of heavy nuggets or granules of bran-rich Graham flour. The cereal was manufactured from a dough of Graham flour rolled into sheets and then baked. The dried sheets were then broken into pieces, baked again, and broken into smaller pieces. The granules were so dense that they had to be soaked overnight in milk before serving.

But then came the competition.

Dr. John Kellogg, was a Seventh-Day Adventist. His medical career was sponsored by Ellen G. White, the founder of the Seventh-Day Adventist religion. She was a client of Doc Jackson and apparently had Dr. Kellog create a similar product with the same name but substituting oats for the graham flour clusters. He used a rolling process to flake the grain.
Shades of Hasagas Gvul.

Doc Jackson sued and Dr. Kellogg changed the name to Granola.

THE ORIGINAL GRANOLA BAR

So what was the bracha on the original granola? Since he flaked the grain in the rolling process and baked it afterward while having added water, it would appear that the bracha would have been Mezonos. The Mishna Brurah 208:3 writes that when the grains are reduced and broken down in the process of cooking – they are a Mezonos – even if they were once whole in the beginning.

Today, however, most of the granola bars are made out of whole oats, baked until softened and then are mixed with other sweeteners and ingredients. If water is added, it is only sprayed on and they are not mixed together like the original ones were.

THE GREAT DEBATE

So what is the halacha? Both Rabbi Belsky zt”l and lbc”l Rav Hershel Schachter are quoted by the OU as saying the blessing on Nature Valley Granola Bars is HaAdama. Rav Heineman is quoted by the Star K Kashrus Kurrents (Winter of 2012 edition Vol. 32:1 note 14) as saying that it is Mezonos. Uh, oh. We now have a Machlokes.

BACKGROUND

Let’s now get a background in the halacha.

The Gemorah in Brachos (37a) states that the bracha for raw grain would be HaAdama.

What is encompassed within the notion of raw grain? Tosfos (DH HaKoses) writes that a kernel of grain is still considered raw – even if it is cooked or roasted whole. The Bracha is HaAdama. The Rosh (6:9), the Rambam (3:2) and Rabbeinu Yonah (Brachos 25b DH Chavitz), Rosh (Brachos 6:9) all agree with this Tosfos (See also SA OC 208:4).

When would grains be considered a Mezonos? Tosfos writes that if it the grain was thoroughly crushed in the cooking process of cooking it would be a Mezonos. Rabbeinu Yonah writes that it is only a mezonos if the kernels of the grain are both crushed and stick together as a result. The Rambam writes that it is only a Mezonos if it was crushed and then cooked. The Rambam’s view is the subject of a debate between the Mogain Avrohom and other Acharonim. The Mogain Avrohom (208:2) understands the Rambam that it is only a mezonos if it was dehusked and then cooked. The Pri Magadim seems to disagree. The Mishna Brurah (208:3) rules that even if the grain started out whole but was crushed in the cooking process it is still a Mezonos. In his Shaar Hatziyun (208:9), the Mishna Brurah writes that if the shell was removed and the grain stuck together the Bracha would be a mezonos.

However, if the shell was removed and the grains weren’t crushed and didn’t stick together, the Mishna Brurah (208:15) writes that the Bracha is a machlokes – it is a debate between the Rambam and Talmidei Rabbenu Yonah.

THE INSIDE INFO

Plugging all of this back into our oat bars – someone familiar with the process explained that the oats are semi crushed but not completely crushed. They are somewhat sticky but not completely sticky and do not really stick together on their own without the other ingredients being added.
And so, we have no resolution between the OU position and the Star K position. Boruch Hashem, however, Rav Moshe Feinstein ruled (IM IV $45) that either blessing could be recited.

PROBLEM OF THE BRACHA ACHARONA

Another issue is the after-blessing. Do we make an al hamichya or a borei nefashos? This, of course, would depend upon what the first blessing was. In order to make an al hamichya, however, it is necessary to eat a full kezayis in the time called bichdei achilas pras. This is generally assumed to be 4 minutes. The Nature Valley Granola bars come two bars to a package. One package alone is actually less than a kezayis of oats. So, in order to ensure that one not have to recite an al hamichya – one should wait a period of four minutes in between the two bars.

This author is of the opinion that the correct blessing is haAdama and Borei Nefashos – but each reader should check with his own Rav or Posaik.

The author can be reached at [email protected]