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 156 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Alo — Aleo Vera Juice Drink
Cane Sugar, Grapefruit, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc. — Cedar's, Hommus, Lemon Cayenne
Sunflower, Olive, Sesame, Lemon, Fructose, Garlic, Citric Acid, Chili Pepper, Capsaicin, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMON INSTANT PUDDING & PIE FILLING, LEMON
Cane Sugar, Corn, Coconut, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good Humor-breyers Ice Cream — Sours Ice Pops
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hawaii Associated Wholesale — Aloha Maid, Nector, Guava
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Original Tortilla Chips, Original
Corn, Lime, Sunflower, Soybean, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Starbucks Coffee Company — Kettle Potato Chips
Potato, Corn, Sunflower, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Starbucks Coffee Company — Iced Mango Black Tea Concentrate, Iced Mango Black
Tea, Cane Sugar, Mango, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Part-skim Milk Cheese
Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Dannon, Light & Fit, Nonfat Yogurt Drink, Peach Mango, Peach Mango
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Whey, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mott's Llp — Flavored Juice Drink, Tropical Carrot
Fructose, Corn, Pear, Carrot, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kellogg Company Us — Kellogg Fruit Pieces Disney Disney Frozen 32oz
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Odoms Tennessee Pride Turkey Patties, 12 Oz
Turkey, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Orville Redenbachers Kettle Korn Popcorn, 17.41 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Newman's Own, Inc. — Marinara Pasta Sauce, Marinara
Tomato, Citric Acid, Carrot, Olive, Onion, Basil, Garlic, Black Pepper
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Annie's Organic Bernie's Farm Macaroni and Cheese
Wheat, Whey, Cow's Milk, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Mug Root Beer Soda 2 Liter Plastic Bottle
Corn, Fructose, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Pepsi Next 12 Fl Oz Can
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Mug Root Beer 12 Fluid Ounce Aluminum Can
Fructose, Corn, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 Beverage Vegetable Cocktail
Tomato, Carrot, Celery, Beet, Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Victoria Fine Foods Llc — Victoria, Diced Pimentos
Chili Pepper, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Fruit Cups
Mango, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Medium Thick & Chunky Salsa
Tomato, Onion, Chili Pepper, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Daiya — Mozzarella Style Shreds
Tapioca, Canola/Rapeseed, Safflower, Coconut, Green Pea, Yeast (Baker's), Glycerin/Glycerol, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Tomatoes Diced with Roasted Garlic
Tomato, Garlic, Fructose, Corn, Oregano, Citric Acid, Parsley
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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