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 160 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Bj's Wholesale Club / Corporate Brands — Flavor Drink Mix
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, Lemon, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mission Foods Inc — 100% Whole Wheat Flour Fajita Tortillas, 100% Whole Wheat
Wheat, Soybean, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Hot Original Taco Sauce, Hot Original
Tomato, Corn, Fructose, Paprika, Citric Acid, Chili Pepper, Benzoic Acid, Onion
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Yellow Cling Peach Chunks in Extra Light Syrup
Peach, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, Llc — Mixed Fruit Sliced Strawberries, Pineapple Chunks, Mango Chunks, Sliced Peaches, Sliced Strawberries, Pineapple Chunks, Mango Chunks, Sliced Peaches
Pineapple, Strawberry, Peach, Mango, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Monster Energy Company — Hydro Energy Drink
Citric Acid, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Cranberry Apple Diet Juice Drink From Concentrate, Cranberry Apple
Cranberry, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Sager Creek Vegetable Company, Hummus, Spinach, Spinach
Sesame, Olive, Spinach, Citric Acid, Garlic, Onion
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Garlic Parmesan Spinach Skillet Sauce, Garlic Parmesan
Onion, Canola/Rapeseed, Garlic, Cow's Milk, Olive, Lemon, Black Pepper, Citric Acid, Sage
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Waters North America Inc. — Nestea, Iced Tea, Peach, Peach
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Angela Mia No Salt Added Spaghetti Sauce, Pouch, 6/104 Oz., 104 Oz
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Corn, Onion, Olive, Basil, Oregano, Parsley, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — La Choy Stir Fry Vegetables, 28 Oz
Carrot, Celery, Corn, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-cola USA — Zero Calorie Cola
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Orville Redenbachers Home Recipe Pop Up Bowl, 8.7 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — MANGO DOLE WHIP, MANGO
Mango, Cane Sugar, Coconut, Tapioca, Citric Acid, Carrageenan
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Barq's Root Beer Bottles, 16.9 Fl Oz, 6 Pack
Corn, Fructose, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Coca-cola Zero Sugar Bottle, 8.55 Fl Oz
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 Beverage Peach Mango
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple, Peach, Mango, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Victoria Fine Foods Llc — Victoria, Julienne Cut Sun Dried Tomatoes for Salads & Cooking
Tomato, Canola/Rapeseed, Olive, Grape, Citric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Diced Pears
Pear, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SPORTS DRINK WITH VITAMINS B3, B6 & B12, GRAPE
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ZERO CALORIE DIET SODA, MIXED BERRY
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — SHARKLEBERRY FIN KOOL-AID GELATIN SNACKS, SHARKLEBERRY FIN
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Whole Foods Market, Orange Sponge Cake
Egg White, Egg Yolk, Cane Sugar, Wheat, Orange, Potato, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Lipton — PINEAPPLE MANGO AGUAS FRESCAS ICED GREEN TEA MIX, PINEAPPLE MANGO
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Tea, Honey, Pineapple, Mango
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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