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 15 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — PURE SEEDLESS BLACK RASPBERRY PRESERVES
Raspberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — POMEGRANATE LEMONADE LIQUID DRINK MIX, POMEGRANATE LEMONADE
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mott's LLP — JUICE BEVERAGE, APPLE WHITE GRAPE
Apple, Grape, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — GRAPEFRUIT IN POMEGRANATE FLAVORED JUICE, GRAPEFRUIT IN POMEGRANATE
Grapefruit, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — PLANT-BASED PROTEIN SHAKE, BERRY MEDLEY, BERRY MEDLEY
Green Pea, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BERRY BLAST LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, BERRY BLAST
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TROPICAL PUNCH ZERO SUGAR JAMMERS DRINK, TROPICAL PUNCH
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — JUICE COCKTAIL FROM CONCENTRATE, LIGHT CRANBERRY
Cranberry, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, MIXED BERRY
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — KOOL-AID, LIQUID, DRINK MIX, WATERMELON, WATERMELON
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BERRY POMEGRANATE LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, BERRY POMEGRANATE
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN DESSERT JIGGLERS MOLD KIT, LIME-LEMON
Cane Sugar, FD&C Red #40, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company — HONEST, GOLDEN GINGER ALE
Cane Sugar, Ginger, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMONADE LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, LEMONADE
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, Benzoic Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ROOT BEER ZERO CALORIE SODA, ROOT BEER
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — PROPEL, WATER BEVERAGE MIX WITH VITAMINS, CITRUS PUNCH, CITRUS PUNCH
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — RED GRAPEFRUIT IN EXTRA LIGHT SYRUP
Grapefruit, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE BLACK CHERRY UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, BLACK CHERRY
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — RED RASPBERRY PRESERVES, RED RASPBERRY
Raspberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
LOW PULP VITAMIN C & ZINC ORANGE JUICE
Orange, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
DAIRYLEA PROCESSED CHEESE-PORTIONS REGULAR 125.000 GR
Cow's Milk, Whey, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — GOURMET POPPING CORN, BUTTER
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nabisco Food Company — ORIGINAL 64% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD, ORIGINAL
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
UNSALTED SWEET MARGARINE
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — LIME LEMON FLAVORED SODA, LIME LEMON
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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