Pas Yisroel - Granola Bars

QUESTION: Granola Bars are made from oats, which are one of the five grains that halacha recognizes as a base for bread products. May those who are careful to eat only Pas Yisroel (bread baked by a Jew) consume granola bars that are not Pas Yisroel?

ANSWER: A granola bar is not pas (bread). This is because a granola bar is made from toasted kernels of rolled oats that are stuck together with syrup. Since the oats do not combine together to form a dough, they do not have the status of pas. Rav Belsky zt”l ruled that the appropriate beracha to recite on a granola bar is Borei Pri Ha’odama. Therefore, the laws of Pas Yisroel do not apply to granola bars.

Furthermore, the prohibition of bishul akum (food cooked by a non-Jew without Jewish involvement) also does not apply to granola bars. That prohibition is limited to foods that can be served at a fancy dinner. The Rambam (Ma’achalos Assuros 17:17) singles out toasted grains as a prime example of a simple food that is exempt from bishul akum.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.