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 117 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Annie's Roasted Red Pepper Dressing
Citric Acid, Apple, Canola/Rapeseed, Honey, Garlic, Black Pepper, Basil
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Pepsi Zero Sugar Cola 24 Fl Oz Pet Bottle6 Pack
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Napolean — Garlic Stuffed Olives
Olive, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good Humor-breyers Ice Cream — Popsicle, Snow Cone, Strawberry, Blue Raspberry and Lemon, Artificially Flavored
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Monster Energy Company — Premium Diet Soda, Tangerine Lime
Citric Acid, Lime
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — TROPICAL SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, TROPICAL
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Purdeys Rejuvenate 250ml Can
Grape, Apple, Citric Acid, Fructose
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Prego Sauces Tomato, Onion & Garlic
Tomato, Onion, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Canola/Rapeseed, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Monster Energy Company — Hubert's, Mango Lemonade, Mango
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid, Mango
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Soda
Cane Sugar, Ginger, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Hormel, Pepperoni Stix
Pork, Beef, Corn, Paprika, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Low Fat Yogurt
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Cherry, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Waters North America Inc. — Tradewinds, Unsweetened Slow Brewed Iced Tea
Tea, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Assi — Sac Sac Grape Drink
Grape, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Minute Maid Company — Drink
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Lipton — Iced Green Tea, Mango Pineapple
Cane Sugar, Honey, Citric Acid, Tea, Corn
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Clif Bar and Company — Clif, Shot Energy Gel, Chocolate Cherry
Corn, Cane Sugar, Cocoa, Cherry, Tea, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mccormick & Company, Inc. — California Style Coarse Grind Blend Lemon Pepper with Garlic & Onion, California Style
Black Pepper, Lemon, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic, Cane Sugar, Corn
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mccormick & Company, Inc. — Garlic & Herb Vegetable Seasoning
Black Pepper, Chili Pepper, Paprika, Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Garlic, Onion, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Passion Fruit Thirst Quencher, Passion Fruit
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Aloe Vera + Honey Juice Drink
Cane Sugar, Honey, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Rotel Mild Diced Tomatoes, 10 Oz
Tomato, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid, Coriander/Cilantro
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Odom's Tennessee Pride Turkey Sausage Patties, 8 Ounce, 8 Oz
Turkey, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Act Ii Kettle Corn Popcorn, 16.5 Oz
Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Kellogg Company Us — Kellogg Other Licensed Fruit Pieces Justice League 17.6oz
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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