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 164 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Root Beer
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Whole Alternatives Llc — Mango Mood Defense Fruit Concentrate, Mango Mood
Apple, Pineapple, Mango, Banana, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Inc. — Light Ice Cream, Neapolitan
Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Strawberry, Cocoa, Tapioca, Lemon, Carob, Beet, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods Inc. — Orville Kettle Korn Classic Bag
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods, Inc. — Sweet Popping Corn, Original
Corn, Soybean, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunt's Whole Peeled Plum Tomatoes with Basil, 28 Oz, 28 Oz
Tomato, Basil, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Banquet Lite Original Link, 6.4 Oz
Turkey, Pork, Soybean, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Pepsi Cola 16 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Dannon, Danimals, Squeezables Lowfat Yogurt, Strawberry Explosion
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Tapioca, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GRAPE JUICE DRINK BLEND FROM CONCENTRATE, GRAPE
Grape, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — Mandarin Oranges
Orange, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Monster Energy Company — Hubert's Lemonade, Diet Lemonade, Original
Lemon, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Cranberry Juice Drink From Concentrate, Cranberry
Cranberry, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY — Prego Traditional Pasta Sauce, 38 Oz Jar
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Canola/Rapeseed, Onion, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY — Swanson Garlic and Herbs White Chunk Chicken, Ready to Eat Fully Cooked Chicken, 2.6 oz Pouch
Chicken, Garlic, Cane Sugar, Onion, Citric Acid, Yeast (Baker's)
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez Int. Us (0074819091009) — Stride Sour Patch Kids Gum Watermelon 1x3 Pk
Glycerin/Glycerol, Aspartame, Blue #1, Citric Acid, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Izze Sparkling Juice Blackberry 16z
Apple, Grape, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez Int. Us (0074819091009) — Sour Patch Candy Watermelon 1x4 Oz
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cia. Topo Chico, S.a. — Topo Chico, Carbonated Beverage, Apple
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Dannon, Light & Fit, Nonfat Yogurt Drink, Mixed Berry
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Whey, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. — Organic Salad Kit
Lettuce, Soybean, Cow's Milk, Egg White, Egg Yolk, Grape, Apple, Mustard, Garlic, Lemon, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Wheat, Yeast (Baker's), Sunflower, Corn, Whey, Rice, Parsley
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — 100% Pineapple, Passion Fruit & Carrot Juice From Concentrate with Added Ingredients
Pineapple, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Kellogg Company — Assorted Fruit Flavored Snacks, Strawberry, Grape, Orange, Cherry
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, Coconut, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
P. K. Kinder Co., Inc. — Cracked Pepper & Lemon Premium Seasoning, Cracked Pepper & Lemon
Cane Sugar, Black Pepper, Garlic, Onion, Citric Acid, Corn, Lemon, Turmeric, Rice
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Aloe Vera + Watermelon + Peach Juice Drink, Aloe Vera + Watermelon + Peach
Cane Sugar, Peach, Watermelon, Citric Acid, Grape
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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