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 152 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Seasoned Beef Crumbles
Beef, Paprika, Onion, Garlic, Tomato, Citric Acid, Chili Pepper, Coriander/Cilantro
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Inc. — FRUIT & TEA BARS, PEACH BLACK TEA
Tea, Peach, Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid, Carob
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Grape Cranberry Juice Drink From Concentrate, Grape Cranberry
Grape, Cane Sugar, Beet, Cranberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Dill Pickle Sunflower Seeds, Dill Pickle
Sunflower, MSG, Citric Acid, Garlic, Onion
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 V-fusion Beverage Grape Raspberry
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Grape, Apple, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Mountain Dew Live Wire 12 Fluid Ounce Aluminum Can
Corn, Fructose, Orange, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Soybean
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez Int. Us (0074819091009) — Swedish Fish Soft Candy Variety Festive1x3 Oz
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Diet Pepsi Cola 8 Fluid Ounce Aluminum Can
Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Coca-cola Zero Sugar Cans, 7.5 Fl Oz, 6 Pack
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dairylea Processed Cheese-spread Smoky Bacon
Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Whey, Sunflower
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Hubert's Lemonade Mango Lemonade Glass Bottle, 16 Fl Oz
Lemon, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Napoleon Co. — Napoleon, Basil Pesto
Basil, Sunflower, Potato, Cow's Milk, Garlic, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Roma Style Tomatoes Diced with Italian Herbs
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Onion, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GARLIC & CLASSIC HERBS DRY RUB, GARLIC & CLASSIC HERBS
Garlic, Cane Sugar, Parsley, Onion, Citric Acid, Corn
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good Humor-breyers Ice Cream — Despicable Me Ice Pops Quiescently Frozen Confections
Corn, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — BRISK, JUICE DRINK, PINK LEMONADE, PINK LEMONADE
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Lemon, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Victoria Amory & Co. Llc — Victoria Amory, Sherry Ketchup
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Grape, Corn, Olive, Onion, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Lipton — Hotel Bar, 53% Vegetable Oil Spread
Soybean, Whey, Cow's Milk, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Squeezables Lowfat Yogurt
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Tapioca, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — BLUE RASPBERRY STRAWBERRY, RASPBERRY MANGO, WATERMELON PINEAPPLE TAILS SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, BLUE RASPBERRY STRAWBERRY, RASPBERRY MANGO, WATERMELON PINEAPPLE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Nescafe, Instant Coffee with Milk
Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Coconut, Corn, Coffee, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Minute Maid Company — Minute Maid, Premium Frozen Concentrated, Fruit Punch
Grape, Pineapple, Pear, Apple, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sara Lee Foods — Hard Salami
Pork, Beef, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, Llc — Peaches & Creme Parfait, Peaches & Creme
Peach, Cane Sugar, Coconut, Citric Acid, Carrageenan, Cow's Milk
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Clif Bar and Company — Energy Bar Made with Organic Rolled Oats
Rice, Oat, Apricot, Soybean, Cane Sugar, Sunflower, Lemon, Citric Acid, Barley, Malt
|
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