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 17 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — BUTTER FLAVOR BAKING STICK, BUTTER
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Tropicana Trop 50 Raspberry Acai Juice Beverage 59 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Orange, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — CROSSE & BLACKWELL, RED CURRANT JELLY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — NATURAL COLA, NATURAL
Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — RED RASPBERRY PRESERVES
Raspberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — STRAWBERRY BLACKBERRY FRUIT SPREAD, STRAWBERRY BLACKBERRY
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — PROPEL POWDER CITRUS PUNCH 0.8Z
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Glacier Freeze Thirst Quencher 32 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — STRAWBERRY KIWI FLAVORED ZERO SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER, STRAWBERRY KIWI
Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — FRUIT PUNCH FLAVORED ZERO SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER, FRUIT PUNCH
Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — GLACIER FREEZE ZERO SUGAR PROTEIN THIRST QUENCHER, GLACIER FREEZE
Whey, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — LIGHT BUTTER GOURMET POPPING CORN, LIGHT BUTTER
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — SLICED CLING PEACHES IN EXTRA LIGHT SYRUP
Peach, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Q — SPECTACULAR KOLA
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — DIET CITRUS GREEN TEA, CITRUS
Citric Acid, Tea, Aspartame
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — MIO, LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, BERRY BLAST, BERRY BLAST
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — POPPING CORN, BUTTER
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — DIET GREEN TEA, CITRUS
Citric Acid, Tea, Aspartame
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — REAL SUGAR COLA
Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Terrapin Ridge Farms LLC — KEY LIME PIE JELLY, KEY LIME PIE
Cane Sugar, Lime, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8, INFUSED WATER, MANDARIN ORANGE GINGER, MANDARIN ORANGE GINGER
Orange, Ginger, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — WILD CHERRY ZERO SUGAR COLA, WILD CHERRY
Aspartame, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
FANCY IN LIGHT SYRUP PEACH SLICES
Peach, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — TURKEY PEPPERONI SNACK STIX
Turkey, Citric Acid, Corn
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — TONIC WATER
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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