Is Raisin Bran Vegan?

The question of whether Raisin Bran is a vegan food or not has been in constant debate for a while now. While we want to outrightly give you a yes or no, there are some gray areas to take a look at.

I mean, isn’t there always?

Did you know that Raisin Bran did not start off as being Kellogg’s? Most of the time, the first thing that comes to mind when you hear about Raisin Bran is Kellogg’s right?

Contrary to the beliefs you might have about Kellogg’s being the first to invent Raisin Bran, the original inventor was Skinner’s. They had the Skinner’s Raisin Bran brand. 

Today, regardless of who started it, Kellogg’s might as well have finished it. They are known as the eleventh most consumed cereal brand in America.

This is probably no surprise why you want to know if Raisin Bran is vegan or not. You’ve seen it on a shelf somewhere, you’re vegan and you want to know if this is safe to eat. 

In this article, we will be discussing the question, is Raisin Bran vegan?

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Is Raisin Bran Vegan?

Seeing as the most popular and probably the one you’re trying to make findings about is Kellogg’s Raisin Bran, then we can say yes and no. 

Raisin Bran is loosely considered vegan and here’s why. Vegans choose the lifestyle mainly due to a variety of reasons. It could be due to health reasons or for some other reason best known to them but the fact remains that you will want to scrutinize what you eat. The main reason why Raisin Bran is typically considered as loosely vegan is due to its vitamin D3 and sugar content.

Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a raisin bran option that is strictly vegan then you should consider the organic raisin bran from Cascadian Farm. 

Now that we know that the ingredients used in Kellogg’s Raisin Bran are usually the cause of conflict, let’s have a breakdown of what type of ingredients they use. Also, we will not just be doing this for the Kellogg’s brand of Raisin Bran but various other brands as well.

What are the ingredients in Kellog’s Raisin Bran?

Agreeably, the most popular type of breakfast cereal is Kellogg’s. Let’s start with that first.

First, we’ll talk about the normal ingredients in Kellogg’s Raisin bran that can pass off or would be considered vegan. We will also discuss the gray areas. Those arguable additives that make it to be termed as loosely vegan.

Ingredients:

• Raisins.
• Whole Grain Wheat.
• Wheat Bran, Sugar.
• About Two Percent of Salt or Less.
• High Fructose Corn Syrup.
• Zinc Oxide.
• Malt Flavoring, Invert Sugar.
• Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
• Niacinamide, Reduced Iron.
• Vitamin A Palmitate.
• Vitamin D.
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
• Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1)
• Folic Acid.
• Vitamin B12.
• The two ingredients that are often very controversial are 
• Vitamin D and Vitamin B12

Sugar

One of the gray areas of this brand is sugar which is often the major cause of debate. 

The concern is the use of non-organic sugar. This is often filtered with bone char which is passed through the sugar during processing. What the bone char does is to remove any impurities and give it the white color of the sugar we know. Some vegans find this a major concern and while there are others that do not care too much for this. It is important to note that there are no animal products in the finished product but for the sake of the process,  some choose to boycott any sugar that makes use of bone char during processing.

Vitamin D3

Cholecalciferol otherwise known as Vitamin D3 is normally harvested from lanolin. This is from sheep’s wool. You can see why this would be a problem for most vegans right? A lot of brands including the one we are talking about here add Vitamin D3 to their products. Some vegans avoid this product while some do not.

So majorly, the reason why Raisin Bran from Kellogg’s is a maybe on the vegan diet is solely dependent on your beliefs as a vegan. These are the only two ingredients that are the gray area of this brand. Whether you eat vitamin D3 as a vegan or non-organic sugar. Strict vegans say a big fat no while others do not.

Does Raisin Bran have any Dairy or Lactose?

Needless to say this but no. It does not have any dairy, lactose, or milk. How do we know this? We checked. Also, it does not have an allergy warning that says to look out for milk which is what most of the brands that use milk would do. Also, for lactose intolerant people, you are also in the clear. 

So, it is quite safe to take it if you’ve ticked off all the checkboxes and are looking to go into it.

Seeing as your breakfast cereal is not the same without milk, we do have an idea. You can go for soy milk when having breakfast as a vegan. It is the most nutritious plant-based milk that will do you good. It is also highly more preferable to coconut milk or almond milk.

So now that we’ve covered all of the ingredients used to make Kellogg’s, the decision is up to you. Personally, I don’t mind this brand and can generally overlook it but the ball has been placed in your court. 

Kellogg’s Raisin Bran is loosely considered vegan, depending on your beliefs.

Another brand we want to discuss is Raisin Bran Crunch. This is a brand from Kellogg’s that offers its consumers a different variety. A crunch to the taste which begs the question of;

Is Raisin Bran Crunch Considered Vegan?

Now as you might have guessed, most of these have one or more debatable vegan ingredients. While some people might be fine with it. Others are not.

Raisin Bran Crunch from Kellogg’s for the better part of it is often not considered vegan. As we’ve said, Vegan A might be okay with it and Vegan B gives it a hard pass. 

The ingredients in Raisin Bran Crunch include;

• Natural flavor.
• Vitamin D.
• Sugar.
• Honey. 
• Glycerin.
• Palm oil.

Most of these ingredients have some debate as to their credibility in the vegan community. In contrast to the previous brand we discussed, the gray area here is palm oil and honey.

Honey 

The major cause of debate when using honey is that it is still unclear if bees go through any pain during this process. The process of honey production has been studied and no conclusive evidence shows that any discomfort or pain is felt by the bees. This is why most vegans are not sure what to do about honey. Some don’t care too much and the ignorance is bliss as it does not look like the bees undergo any discomfort. Others boycott any product with honey in them due to this blank area in knowledge. 

Palm oil 

Palm oil, even though being a plant-based product is also a cause for critical debate among the vegan community. The debate is due to unsustainable harvesting processes. There is concern that it hurts the habitats of animals such as orangutans present in such areas.

Raisin Bran Crunch Ingredients

• Sugar.
• Whole Grain Wheat.
• Raisins
• Wheat Bran.
• Rice.
• Brown Sugar Syrup.
• Whole Grain Oats.
• Glycerin.
• Salt (2% or less.)
• Corn Syrup.
• Malt Flavor.
• Molasses.
• Modified Corn Starch.
• Palm Oil.
• Honey
• Cinnamon.
• Natural and Artificial Flavor.
• Vitamins and Minerals. 
• BHT for Freshness.
• Niacinamide.
• Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate and Ascorbic Acid.)
• Reduced Iron.
• Zinc Oxide.
• Vitamin A Palmitate.
• Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride)
• Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
• Folic Acid.
• Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Hydrochloride)
• Vitamin D and Vitamin B12.

Vegan Raisin Bran 

We’ve covered the brands of Kellogg’s that are a maybe to our big question. But we’re guessing that you want to know what brands are a safe bet for vegan cereals. 

Now, a lot of the competition out there has ingredients that are similar to the ones we’ve just covered but what brands can you consider going with?

Millville Raisin Bran 

This is a brand that can be found at Aldi.

A bonus is that it has two special ingredients that are particularly a concern for vegans. This is natural flavor and Glycerin.

While these two ingredients might seem like a point of concern, most people don’t mind it. 

The main reason why glycerin is a concern is that it can be made from animal fat. Okay, don’t freak out. This same glycerin with no difference at all can also be gotten from soybean oil. Most brands mark it as typically vegan and don’t bother pointing out anything else. Personally, I don’t mind it one bit.

Natural flavor also has a similar gray area to it.

Millville Raisin Bran Ingredients.

• Sugar, Raisins.
• Whole Grain Wheat.
• Rice.
• Wheat Bran.
• Molasses.
• Whole Grain Oats.
• Glycerin, 
• Salt.
• Corn Syrup.
• Barley Malt Extract.
• Canola Oil.
• Oat Flour.
• Maltodextrin.
• Natural flavor.
• Cinnamon.
• Caramel Color.
• Vitamin E (mixed Tocopherols) for freshness. 
• There are also added Vitamins and Minerals like 
• Niacinamide (vitamin B3), 
• Reduced Iron.
• Zinc Oxide (source Of Zinc.)
• Vitamin A Palmitate.
• Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (vitamin B6)
• Thiamin Mononitrate (vitamin B1)
• Folic Acid, Riboflavin (vitamin B2)
• Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.

Cascadian Farm organic sugar 

Like we earlier mentioned in an example, for strict vegans, there is an organic raisin bran brand from Cascadian Farm that offers you all you need in a vegan cereal.

Cascadian Farm offers an organic raisin bran brand that has no gray-area ingredients whatsoever. So if you’re a very strict vegan, you may want to check out Cascadian Farm.

One of the main reasons why this brand is considered vegan is that it is not made with any type of additives that raises concerns. The common Vitamin D3 that is usually a point of debate is not part of the usual ingredients nor does it have any non-organic sugar. The type that is purified with bone char.

So, is Cascadian Farm Raisin Bran Vegan?  That would be a strong yes.

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Cascadian Farm Raisin Bran Ingredients includes;

• Wheat Bran. 
• Whole Grain Wheat.
• Raisins.
• Sugar.
• Fiber.
• Oat.
• Sea Salt.
• Vitamin E  (mixed tocopherols) which is added to maintain freshness.

All of the ingredients used are organic, save for sea salts and vitamin E.

Post-Raisin Bran

One of the competitions is Post Raisin Bran. This much like the other Kellogg’s Raisin Bran brands have similar gray areas. These are their additions of sugar and vitamin D3. As we’ve gone through the reasons why this may be a concern for some and why it may be overlooked by others. This brand can also be loosely considered vegan.

Post-Raisin Bran Ingredients.

• Raisins.
• Whole Grain Wheat
• Wheat Bran
• Malted Barley
• Sugar
• Salt
• Flour
• Wheat Flour
• Some added Vitamins And Minerals such as
• Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), 
• Reduced Iron 
• Zinc Oxide (Source Of Zinc),
• Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
• Vitamin A Palmitate
• Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1)
• Folic Acid
• Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
• Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3. 

Total Raisin Bran

Another brand that is considered typically vegan is Total Raisin Bran. Much like the aforementioned brands, it has some gray areas of concern. The typical ones are sugar and vitamin D3.

Some prefer to stay away from the brand entirely while others don’t mind.

Kroger Raisin Bran

Much like the previous one we just discussed, some people do not mind the vitamin D3 and the sugar in it. It is still considered as typically vegan.

Great Value Raisin Bran

The Vitamin D and the sugar in this brand is why some people prefer to avoid it altogether. It contains cholecalciferol and non-organic sugar that is processed with bone char.

Raisin Nut Bran

The main reason why vegans prefer to avoid this brand is the natural flavor processed from animals and the presence of glycerin in its ingredients. This gray area is usually why there is controversy but for people who don’t care too much and are not strict vegans, this can loosely be an option for a vegan cereal.

Please note, as discussed in our ‘Is Sugar Vegan?’ article, not all types of sugar can be considered vegan. It is therefore the responsibility of the reader to make their own inquiries with the manufacturers of these suggested vegan friendly alternatives to determine whether the sugar used in these products are suitable for vegan consumption.