Does a product that contains bread crumbs in it (such as veggie burger) need to be Pas Yisroel?
When a dough is incorporated into a mixture before baking and the entire product is baked together as one unit from the outset, then if the flour component is only secondary and not a significant part of the food, the item is generally not subject to Pas Akum (though Bishul Akum considerations might still apply).
This is only when the flour is mixed into the recipe prior to baking, and the whole product is baked together in one process.
However, where a dough was first baked separately and only afterwards added into another food, it retains its status as Pas Akum.
Nevertheless, where such pre-baked bread (e.g., bread crumbs) is later incorporated into a mixture in a way that it becomes a clearly subordinate minority ingredient – such that it is batel in the majority of the food and no longer visually or texturally identifiable in the final product – the Pas Akum status is effectively nullified. This is typically the case when the crumbs function only as a binder or filler and do not remain a recognizable component. If, however, they remain a significant proportion or are still discernible in the final product, they are not batel and the entire mixture retains Pas Akum status.
In practice, a standard veggie burger containing bread crumbs will generally not require Pas Yisroel, provided the crumbs are used only as a minor binder or filler, constitute a small minority of the mixture, and are fully integrated so they are no longer identifiable in the final product.
Source:
שו״ע יו״ד סי׳ קי״ב סע׳ י״ד.
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