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 171 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Conagra Brands — Snack Pack Juicy Gels Strawberry and Orange, 13 Oz
Cane Sugar, Apple, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Carob, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — STRAWBERRY JUICY GELS, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, Apple, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Carob, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Yoplait USA — COOKIES & CREME FLAVORED CULTURED DAIRY BEVERAGE SMOOTHIE, COOKIES & CREME
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Cocoa, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 Splash Beverage Citrus
Corn, Fructose, Carrot, Citric Acid, Cherry
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — PINEAPPLE, PEACH & MANGO IN SLIGHTLY SWEETENED COCONUT WATER
Coconut, Pineapple, Peach, Mango, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — LOW CALORIE DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY ORANGE BANANA
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ICED TEA & LEMONADE HALF & HALF
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Lemon, Tea, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cia. Topo Chico, S.a. — Topo Chico, Carbonated Beverage, Strawberry
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Engine 2, Plant-strong, Classic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
Tomato, Citric Acid, Carrot, Onion, Sweet Potato, Basil, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Maggi, Sweet Chili Sauce, Mild
Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Tapioca, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sara Lee Foods — Pork Sausage Links
Pork, Corn, Cane Sugar, MSG, Citric Acid, Beef
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars Chocolate North America Llc — Favereds
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Fajita Seasoning Mix, Fajita
Corn, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Rio Luna — Organic Diced Green Chiles
Chili Pepper, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Barilla America, Inc. — Sweet Peppers Sauce, Sweet Peppers
Tomato, Citric Acid, Solanine, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Paprika, Olive, Parsley, Oregano
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Orville Redenbachers Kernels and Sunflower Oil, 10.6 Oz
Corn, Sunflower, Citric Acid, Cow's Milk
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Betty Crocker Whipped Strawberry Mist Frosting
Cane Sugar, Corn, FD&C Red #40, Blue #2, Polysorbate 80, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez Int. Us (0074819091009) — Sour Patch Kids Soft Candy Rainbow Fat Free1x9.000 Oz
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez Int. Us (0074819091009) — Sour Patch Extreme Soft Candy Extreme Fat Free12x4 Oz
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Plum Stage2 Blends Baby Food Peach Apricot Banana
Peach, Banana, Citric Acid, Apricot, Lemon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good Humor-breyers Ice Cream — Lemon Ice Bars
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mccormick & Company, Inc. — Fajita Seasoning Mix
Cumin, Chili Pepper, Oregano, Onion, Corn, Garlic, Mustard, Citric Acid, Lime
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Dannon, Dairy Drink, Strawberry
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Fructose, Tapioca, Whey, Corn, Strawberry, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — 365 Everyday Value, Organic Green Olives
Olive, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Lipton — 53% Vegetable Oil Spread
Soybean, Whey, Cow's Milk, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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