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 172 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Protein Smoothie Yogurt Drink
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Whey, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Post Foods, Llc — Performance Energy Gel
Fructose, Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid, Corn
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Act Ii Butter, 2.75 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. — SPARKLING MANGO FLAVORED JUICE BEVERAGE BLEND, SPARKLING MANGO
Apple, Grape, Orange, Mango, Pineapple, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Tomatoes Amd Okra
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Onion, Garlic, Citric Acid, Black Pepper
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Danone, Danup, Dairy Drink, Pina Colada
Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Fructose, Pineapple, Coconut, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Organic Green Tea
Cane Sugar, Tea, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. — Canada Dry, Ginger Ale Soda Mix, Ginger Ale
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Mango in Extra Light Syrup
Mango, Cane Sugar, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — Sweet & Sour Red Cabbage, Sweet & Sour
Cabbage, Fructose, Corn, Apple, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Thick & Chunky Cantina Style Salsa
Tomato, Chili Pepper, Onion, Coriander/Cilantro, Cumin, Citric Acid, Lime, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Kiwi Strawberry Flavored Thirst Quencher, Kiwi Strawberry
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Banquet Brown N Serve Hot N Spicy Sausage Links, 6.4 Oz
Pork, Turkey, Soybean, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Tazo, Inc. — Tazo Giant Peach Green Tea & Peach Juice 13.8 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Tea, Cane Sugar, Apple, Peach, Ginger, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Dtlpgrntsbykiwi 16.9flozpl12pk
Citric Acid, Tea, Aspartame, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Simply Light Orange Pulp Free (nectar) Bottle, 52 Fl Oz
Orange, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Minute Maid Cranberry Grape Bottle, 12 Fl Oz
Fructose, Corn, Apple, Cranberry, Grape, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Halls Soothers Candy Cherry 45.000 Gr
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Glycerin/Glycerol, Citric Acid, Cherry, Carrot, Paprika, Sunflower
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Greek Non Fat Yogurt
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cherry, Fructose, Corn, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Hershey Company — PULL 'N' PEEL CANDY, TWIZTED STRAWBERRY BLAST
Corn, Wheat, Cane Sugar, Glycerin/Glycerol, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Frozen Foods — ORIGINAL FULLY COOKED SAUSAGE LINKS, ORIGINAL
Pork, Turkey, Soybean, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kellogg Company Us — Kellogg's Fruit Pieces Disney Disney Zootopia .8oz
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Plum Mighty 4 Tots Snacks Strawberry Kale Amaranth
Strawberry, Banana, Citric Acid, Yogurt, Cow's Milk, Whey, Amaranth, Oat, Lemon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — SODA, FRUIT PUNCH
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Ocean Spray, Cran Lemonade, Cranberry Lemonade with Another Juice
Cane Sugar, Beet, Cranberry, Grape, Lemon, Citric Acid, Carrot
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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