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 19 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
ALO — ALOE VERA JUICE DRINK
Cane Sugar, Honey, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MANGO AGUAS FRESCAS JUICE BEVERAGE
Mango, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — CRANBERRY INFUSED SPARKLING WATER, CRANBERRY RASPBERRY BLACKBERRY
Cranberry, Pineapple, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
GOOD & GATHER — GARLIC STUFFED QUEEN OLIVES, GARLIC
Olive, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — DICED TOMATOES WITH SERRANO PEPPER, SERRANO
Tomato, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TROPICAL PUNCH LIQUID DRINK MIX, TROPICAL PUNCH
Citric Acid, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SODA, APPLE
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TROPICAL BLEND NATURALLY SWEETENED DRINK MIX, TROPICAL BLEND
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Corn
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — LEMON LIME ZERO SUGAR CAFFEINE FREE FLAVORED SODA, LEMON LIME
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ZERO CALORIE COLA
Aspartame, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MOTT'S STRAWBERRY KIWI NO SUGAR ADDED APPLESAUCE
Apple, Strawberry, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — INVISIBLE GRAPE DRINK MIX, INVISIBLE GRAPE
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Corn
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TROPICAL PUNCH UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, TROPICAL PUNCH, UNSWEETENED
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — BOYSENBERRY SEEDLESS JAM, BOYSENBERRY
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Low Calorie Orange Thirst Quencher (12 - 12 Fluid Ounce) 144 Fluid Ounces 12 Pack Plastic Bottles
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
IDEAL VANILLA PLANT-BASED PROTEIN POWDER, IDEAL VANILLA
Green Pea, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BERRY GRAPE LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, BERRY GRAPE
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Starbucks Coffee Company — VANILLA SYRUP, VANILLA
Cane Sugar, Vanilla, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — GRAPE ZERO SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Tonic Wholesale, Inc. — MANGO ALOE DRINK
Cane Sugar, Mango, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN DESSERT, FRUIT PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — BLENDED GREEK YOGURT
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — JIGGLERS MOLD KIT, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, FD&C Red #40, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (Rockstar) — SUGAR FREE ENERGY DRINK
Citric Acid, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — 53% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
Search Any Product
Check any grocery product against the full MRT 176 panel — not just Citric Acid.
Open the Food Checker