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 215 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Gatorade, G2, Thirst Quencher, Tropical Blend
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (Health Warrior) — COCONUT CHIA BAR, COCONUT
Rice, Cashew, Coconut, Fructose, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — California Diced Pears in Extra Light Syrup with Vanilla & Spice, Vanilla & Spice
Pear, Cane Sugar, Vanilla, Coumarin/Vanillin, Cinnamon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — LIME BITE SIZE CANDIES, LIME
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Tapioca, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (Rockstar) — SUPER SOUR GREEN APPLE SUGAR FREE ENERGY DRINK, SUPER SOUR GREEN APPLE
Citric Acid, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — STRAWBERRY FRUIT JUICE GELS, STRAWBERRY
Grape, Apple, Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunts Organic Tomato Paste, 6 Oz
Tomato, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Conagra Brands — Odoms Tennessee Pride Turkey Patties, 24 Oz
Turkey, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — SYRUP
Cane Sugar, Cocoa, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — TRADITIONAL PICANTE SAUCE, MILD
Tomato, Onion, Chili Pepper, Garlic, Citric Acid, Capsaicin
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Victoria Fine Foods Llc — Victoria, Mediterranean Sun Dried Tomatoes with Pure Olive Oil
Tomato, Canola/Rapeseed, Olive, Grape, Citric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — KIWI STRAWBERRY SODA, KIWI STRAWBERRY
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — DIET SPARKLING SODA, CRANBERRY LEMON LIME
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Del Monte, Pineapple Juice Drink, Artificial Orange Flavor
Pineapple, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Hormel, Pepperoni, Original
Pork, Beef, Corn, Paprika, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Dannon, Danimals, Smoothie Drink, Strikin' Strawberry Kiwi
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Whey, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mccormick & Company, Inc. — Basil Balsamic Veggie Marinade Mix
Basil, Garlic, Cane Sugar, Corn, Onion, Citric Acid, Grape, Solanine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Waters Canada — Water Beverage
Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Monster Energy Company — Hubert's, Diet Lemonade, Blackberry
Lemon, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars Chocolate North America Llc — Starburst, Original Jellybeans
Cane Sugar, Corn, Apple, Citric Acid, Blue #1, Yellow #6, Yellow #5, Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — Tropical Fruit
Pineapple, Strawberry, Banana, Mango, Papaya, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Kellogg Company — Assorted Fruit Flavored Snacks, Fruit
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunts Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce, 24 Oz
Tomato, Mushroom, Fructose, Corn, Soybean, Carrot, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Odom's Tennessee Pride Turkey Sausage Links, 12 Count, 9 Oz
Turkey, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream — Fruit Bars, Tangerine
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Orange, Carob, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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