Citric Acid in Grocery Products
Citric Acid is an MRT 176 panel substance found in 7,950 of the 20,682 products in our database. Here's every product we've analyzed that contains it.
Risk Distribution
How products containing Citric Acid break down by total trigger count:
Citric acid is one of 27 chemical additives tested on the MRT 176 panel, and it is by far the most prevalent. We found it in 38% of all grocery products in our database — that’s nearly 8,000 items.
While citric acid occurs naturally in citrus fruits, the citric acid used in food manufacturing is almost exclusively produced through Aspergillus niger fermentation of corn sugar. This means manufactured citric acid may trigger reactions in people sensitive to corn as well as those sensitive to citric acid itself.
Citric acid is used as a preservative, pH adjuster, and flavor enhancer. It appears in beverages, canned goods, condiments, snacks, and even some fresh-cut produce. If citric acid is on your Red list, finding packaged food without it is one of the biggest challenges of the LEAP protocol.
Related Reading
- What Does “Natural Flavors” Actually Mean? — Citric acid is often hidden inside “natural flavors”
- Products with the fewest MRT triggers overall
All Products Containing Citric Acid — Page 108 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Terrapin Ridge Farms Llc — Terrapin Ridge Farms, Roasted Pineapple Habanero Dip
Cane Sugar, Pineapple, Apple, Onion, Tapioca, Chili Pepper, Capsaicin, Ginger, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Terrapin Ridge Farms Llc — Apple & Horseradish Jam
Cane Sugar, Apple, Onion, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — MIXED FRUIT JELLY, MIXED FRUIT
Fructose, Corn, Apple, Cherry, Grape, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Fruit+veggie Squeezers
Pear, Pumpkin, Carrot, Blueberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sara Lee Foods — Summer Sausage
Pork, Beef, Citric Acid, Mustard
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cia. Topo Chico, S.a. — Artificially Flavored Soda
Cane Sugar, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Post — Instant Multigrain Hot Cereal
Oat, Cane Sugar, Quinoa, Barley, Rye, Wheat, Blueberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Minute Maid Company — Minute Maid, Sparkling Juice Drink, Tropical Citrus
Orange, Mango, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Corn, Glycerin/Glycerol, Benzoic Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Lite Mandarin Oranges in Orange Flavored Gel, Orange
Orange, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Starbucks Coffee Company — Cool Lime Flavored Instant Beverage with Green Coffee Extract, Cool Lime
Cane Sugar, Grape, Lime, Coffee, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Monster Energy Company — Lemonade Tea, Original Green Tea, Lemonade
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Lemon, Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Welch's — Concord Grape Gelatin
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — Traditional Pasta Sauce, Traditional
Tomato, Fructose, Corn, Soybean, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Watermelon Citrus Electrolyte Water Beverage Mix, Watermelon Citrus
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Corn
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Sweet Iced Tea Mix, Lemon
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Tea, Corn, Lemon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Rio Luna — Organic Large Chopped Green Chiles
Chili Pepper, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — Mixed Fruit Pineapple Chunks, Sliced Strawberries, Sliced Peaches, & Mango Chunks, Mixed Fruit
Pineapple, Strawberry, Peach, Mango, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Banquet Turkey Links, 6.4 Oz
Turkey, Soybean, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Act Ii Kettle Corn, 8.75 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods Inc. — A2 Btr Lvr 1/30/90.8z Mb
Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction / Testing |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Vanilla Frosting
Cane Sugar, Corn, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Annie's Organic Classic Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese
Wheat, Whey, Cow's Milk, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Diet Pepsi Caffeine Free Cola 2 Liter Plastic Bottle
Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Pepsico — Lipton White Tea Raspberry (16.9 Fl Oz - 12) 202.8 Fluid Ounce 12 Pack Plastic Bottle
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Pepsi Cola 12 Fluid Ounce Aluminum Can
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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