Raisin Bran (History, FAQ & Commercials)

If you want to be sure that your cereal is healthy, there are not that many options on the market today. Many kinds of cereal are full of sugar and fall more into the category of candy than cereal. This was the position that Kellogg’s took with many of their cereal products, seeking to fill a gap in a niche that they saw needed to be filled. Raisin Bran is among the cereals that are commonly marketed to adults and which has been around ever since quick breakfast became a staple of the American experience.

Raisin Bran is known as Sultana Bran in countries that call raisins by this other name. It remains one of the most popular and healthy breakfast options that you can buy, even today. There have been various incarnations of this kind of product, but Kellogg’s brand has always been able to do more and go further with its healthy cereal products. It is just one of many really healthy cereal options that you can enjoy if you want to break the cycle of eating a sugary breakfast each day.

History

There are various versions of this product on the market today, and the name “Raisin Bran” is not specific to Kellogg’s product. Kellogg’s makes the most recognizable version of Raisin Bran, but there is also a Post version that keeps up with Kellogg’s pretty well when it comes to sales. 

The first Raisin Bran cereal was made by the Skinner Manufacturing Company in 1926. This product was the only one of its kind for 26 years until Kellogg’s and Post came onto the scene. The name was trademarked up until 1944, but the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled that this name could not be protected because it only described the ingredients and not something that could be uniquely protected.

Both Kellogg’s and Post have made a lot about the healthy nature of this cereal and have advertised it as being full of the things that kids and adults alike need to be able to work hard and get through the day. Kellogg’s switched to a targeted audience that was more adult fairly early on in the life of the brand. Most of their ads show strong and hard-working adults like fishermen, loggers, and other tradespeople who need to enjoy the hearty “two scoops” of raisins that have been added to every box of raisin bran.

Post leaned more on children as their main market for many years, creating cute and cartoon-like commercials that were targeted at kids for many years. Then, when they wanted to target adults, they tried various versions of the singing raisins commercial, which included some candidly very strange-looking adults in raisin-colored body suits singing in bowls of milk. These commercials are memorable, if only for being odd and a little creepy, but they must have done the trick since Post Raisin Bran continues to hold its own in a crowded cereal market. 

Kellogg’s and Post have both developed an identity that is very focused on healthy cereal products, and they make some of the classic cereals that kids probably asked for last on their list. There is no doubt that children would have rather had Trix than raisin bran, and marketing at children was not a big enough draw to make kids ask for these healthy products to be in their cupboards. However, adults were very motivated by the idea that a bowl of cereal could keep their kid going until lunchtime every day at school, so kids probably didn’t get to have much say about the inclusion of a healthy cereal in their home.

Raisin Bran is actually really sweet for a healthy cereal because the raisins that are included in the box are able to create a sugary note that the bran flakes never could. There were likely worse things to be offered as a kid, like Malt-O-Meal or Shredded Wheat. This is not to say that some kids didn’t like these more bland and health-conscious cereal products, but there were probably many kids who wondered why on earth there were commercials featuring kids for these kinds of products.

Both Post and Kellogg’s have cut back on or completely removed the “toy in the box” sales method for their cereals, but this was probably one of the main drivers once upon a time, to keep kids eating healthy cereal. Being able to turn in box tops for cool toys and other kinds of swag was appealing to kids, even if the cereal inside the box wasn’t that exciting. There were sometimes extra points to be had on the boxes that were healthier as well, which meant that you might be more motivated as a child to consume the whole box of Raisin Bran just to be allowed to take the box top and put it to use.

Kellogg’s has taken the time to add some variants of the classic Raisin Bran to their lineup, likely being aware that basic old Raisin Bran is not that enticing to some consumers. Adding some of the goodness and crunchiness of granola or other flavors like vanilla has created some slightly less bland cereals that are intended to get people who want to enjoy a more classic and sugary cereal experience to like Raisin Bran as well. This might also be a good break from the usual for those who really like Raisin Bran and are fairly loyal to its health-conscious nature.

Raisin Bran is one of those cereals that you might not fall in love with, but most people can certainly stand to eat it when there are no other cereal options on offer. The bran flakes are actually really crunchy and hold up well in milk, and the sweetness of the raisins is more significant than people think it will be. The fiber that is included in these cereals due to the bran that is in the flake portion of the cereal can also be really helpful for people who are not getting enough fiber in their diet otherwise.

Studies in 1991 did show that the recipe for the cereal was not that healthy after all and that there was still 17 grams of sugar in every cup. The Kellogg’s Sultana product that is sold in Europe and the UK came in as much healthier when surveyed in non-American markets. There were also studies that indicated that the combination of the acidity in raisins and bran was enough to cause cavities if eaten too regularly.

Cereal products will likely always lose out on health-conscious surveys when compared to things like proteins, toast, or eggs. However, there are still plenty of people who are not willing to give up their cereal products for their morning meals. While you might not be cutting out as much sugar as you think when you pick Raisin Bran over other cereal products, you are still not ingesting a variety of chemicals, food dyes, and sugary inclusions like marshmallows. 

The reality is that cereal that is truly healthy is barely a blip on everyone’s radar. There is nothing exciting or interesting about consuming dry flakes of corn or bran without any added sugar. This means that the cereal market is likely to remain the same in the future, and cereals like this one will be your best bet to avoid some of the most sugar-laden cereal products on the market and still get access to a yummy bowl of breakfast food for your morning meal.

Logo

Ingredients:

Per the Walmart entry:

• whole grain wheat
• raisins
• wheat bran
• sugar,
• brown sugar syrup
• malt flavor
• salt
• and assorted vitamins and minerals. 

In this version of the cereal, the vitamin D3 supplementation is made from lanolin. Since this is an animal product, it is a non-vegan breakfast cereal. There are not many kinds of cereal that are actually made with these kinds of ingredients, but there are usually other reasons that cereals cannot be considered vegan or vegetarian-friendly.

Nutrition

Serving Size:	1 cup (59g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	188
Calories from Fat	14
Total Fat	1.6g	2%
Saturated Fat	0.3g	1%
Trans Fat	0g
Polyunsaturated Fat	0.6g
Monounsaturated Fat	0.2g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	210mg	9%
Potassium	385mg	11%
Total Carbohydrates	46g	15%
Dietary Fiber	6.7g	27%
Sugars	18g
Protein	4.6g
Vitamin A		15%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		2%
Iron		40%

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet.

Post Raisin Bran Ingredients:

From the Walmart entry:

• Kosher
• Whole grain wheat And bran cereal
• Excellent source of fiber 8g per serving
• Excellent source of whole grain 22g per serving
• Made with the goodness of 100% Sun-Maid natural California raisins

Kellogg’s Raisin Bran Varieties:

• Original Raisin Bran Cereal
• Raisin Bran Toasted Oats & Honey
• Raisin Bran Crunch Cereal
• Raisin Bran Crunch Vanilla Almond
• Raisin Bran with Cranberries

The Post company only makes one version of cereal. They have lots of other really healthy products that they have sold for years, like Malt-o-Meal and Honey Bunches of Oats, but there are no other raisin bran-based products in their stable.

Post Raisin Bran Nutrition

Serving Size:	1.3 cup (61g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	190
Total Fat	1g	2%
Saturated Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	240mg	10%
Total Carbohydrates	48g	16%
Dietary Fiber	9g	36%
Sugars	20g
Added Sugars	9g	18%
Protein	5g
Vitamin D	10mcg	50%
Calcium	2.3mg	0%
Iron	11mg	61%
Potassium	340mg	7%

• The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Pictures

Commercials

A classic commercial for Kellogg’s which shows the California sun and raisins:

Two scoops commercial from the 80s made by Kellogg’s:

Kellogg’s commercial with “Sturdy Magee” from the 90s:

A Post commercial with singing raisins which was actually pretty scary:

Post Raisin Bran commercial from the 1950s:

FAQ