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 146 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Mild Fire Roasted Whole Green Chiles, Mild Fire Roasted
Chili Pepper, Capsaicin, Solanine, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — 365 Everyday Value, Pear Juice From Concentrate, Mandarin Orange
Orange, Pear, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Lu, Le Petit Beurre Biscuits
Wheat, Cane Sugar, Cow's Milk, Whey, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Yoplait USA — Lowfat Yogurt Mousse, Lemon
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Lemon, Citric Acid, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods, Inc. — Orville Redenbacher's, Gourmet Popping Corn, Buttery, Buttery
Corn, Citric Acid, Cow's Milk
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi Fire — Cinnamon Cola, Cinnamon
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Tribe Mediterranean Foods, Inc. — Mediterranean Olive Hummus, Mediterranean Olive
Olive, Canola/Rapeseed, Sesame, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Banquet Brown N Serve Original Sausage Patties, 4 Oz
Pork, Turkey, Soybean, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kellogg Company Us — Kellogg's Other Licensed Fruit Pieces Despicable Me 17.6oz
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Lipton Lemon Iced Tea 20 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Lemon, Tea
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Mtn Dew Soda (6 - 24 Fluid Ounce) 144 Fluid Ounce 6 Pack Plastic Bottles
Fructose, Corn, Orange, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez Int. Us (0074819091009) — Sour Patch Kids Soft Candy Berries Fat Free12x3.1 Oz
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Gold Peak Diet Green Tea Bottle, 18.5 Fl Oz
Tea, Citric Acid, Aspartame
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez Int. Us (0074819091009) — Sour Patch Kids Soft Candy Kids Fat Free1x3.4 Oz
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Napoleon Co. — Almond Stuffed Olives
Olive, Almond, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Del Monte, Lite Diced Peaches, Strawberry- Banana Flavored Gel
Peach, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — SOUR PATCH, SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, WATERMELON, WATERMELON
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — MACARONI & CHEESE, RICE PASTA & WHITE CHEDDAR
Rice, Cow's Milk, American Cheese, Whey, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — PIZZA SAUCE, PIZZA
Tomato, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, Llc — Mandarin Oranges in Pineapple Juice with Turmeric Glow, Mandarin Oranges & Turmeric
Orange, Pineapple, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (BFY Brands) — WHITE CHEDDAR FLAVORED POPPED-CORN SNACK, WHITE CHEDDAR
Corn, Sunflower, Whey, Cow's Milk, Canola/Rapeseed, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — PITCH BLACK ZERO SUGAR SODA WITH A BLAST OF DARK CITRUS PUNCH, PITCH BLACK
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Act Ii Fat Free Popcorn, 32.593 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — YOGURT
Yogurt, Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Lime, Citric Acid, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — RAIN BERRY CRISP & COOL THIRST QUENCHER, RAIN BERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1, Fructose
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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