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.
7,950
Products Found
38.4%
Of All Products
210
Low Risk (0-2)
6,654
High Risk (5+)
Risk Distribution
How products containing Citric Acid break down by total trigger count:
210
2.6%
Low Risk (0-2 triggers)
1,086
13.7%
Moderate (3-4 triggers)
6,654
83.7%
High Risk (5+ triggers)
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 142 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Lipton — HIBISCUS LIME AGUAS FRESCAS ICED HERBAL TEA MIX, HIBISCUS LIME
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Corn, Fructose, Beet, Lime
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CHEDDAR MACARONI & CHEESE DINNER, CHEDDAR
Wheat, Whey, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Paprika, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS, ROASTED RED PEPPER
Sesame, Canola/Rapeseed, Citric Acid, Garlic, Paprika, Solanine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — HAZELNUT CAFE-STYLE BEVERAGE MIX, HAZELNUT
Cane Sugar, Corn, Coconut, Coffee, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — 4% SMALL CURD COTTAGE CHEESE
Cottage Cheese, Cow's Milk, Whey, Carrageenan, Carob, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORIGINAL FLAVOR MACARONI & CHEESE DINNER, ORIGINAL
Wheat, Whey, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Paprika, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods-Snack Foods Group — ORIGINAL MONSTER SIZE SEASONED BEEF STEAK STRIPS, ORIGINAL
Beef, Cane Sugar, Soybean, Corn, MSG, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — ALMOND MIX, BERRY MACAROON
Almond, Cane Sugar, Cranberry, Sunflower, Coconut, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Juice Drink with 2 Other Juices Concentrate
Cane Sugar, Blueberry, Grape, Apple, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Activia Probiotic Drink
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Fructose, Mango, Corn, Turmeric, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Welch's — Freeze Pop
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Orange, Strawberry, Grape
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Waters North America Inc. — Tea
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Tea, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Original 3-pack Taco Seasoning Mix, Original
Corn, Paprika, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Citric Acid, Yeast (Baker's)
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Cranberry Strawberry Flavored Juice Drink with Another Juice From Concentrate, Cranberry Strawberry
Cane Sugar, Cranberry, Apple, Strawberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Del Monte, Diced Tomatoes
Tomato, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Clif Bar and Company — Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Raspberry Organic Trail Mix Bar, Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Raspberry
Almond, Cashew, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Cocoa, Lecithin (Soy), Lemon, Raspberry, Rice, Soybean, Sunflower, Tapioca, Vanilla
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle — Strawberry Lowfat Milk, Strawberry
Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Corn, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #3
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kellogg Company Us — Kellogg Fruit Pieces Non-licensed Froot Loops .8oz
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — GRAPE FLAVORED ZERO SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, GRAPE
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40, Corn, Grape
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Daiya — Mushroom & Roasted Garlic Gluten-free Pizza, Mushroom & Roasted Garlic
Tapioca, Rice, Sorghum, Potato, Olive, Cane Sugar, Yeast (Baker's), Tomato, Onion, Basil, Garlic, Canola/Rapeseed, Safflower, Coconut, Green Pea, Yeast (Brewer's), Glycerin/Glycerol, Citric Acid, Mushroom
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Smooth Finish Thirst Quencher, Pineapple Mango
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Jiffy Pop Butter Flavored Popcorn, 4.5 Oz., 4.5 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 Splash Beverage Raspberry
Fructose, Corn, Sweet Potato, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Annies Hmgrwn Org Bunnies Bats Bunny Frt Sncks Berry Patch
Tapioca, Cane Sugar, Pear, Citric Acid, Carrot, Sunflower
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Old El Paso Green Chiles Refried Beans
Pinto Bean, Chili Pepper, Tomato, Pork, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
Search Any Product
Check any grocery product against the full MRT 176 panel — not just Citric Acid.
Open the Food Checker