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.
7,950
Products Found
38.4%
Of All Products
210
Low Risk (0-2)
6,654
High Risk (5+)
Risk Distribution
How products containing Citric Acid break down by total trigger count:
210
2.6%
Low Risk (0-2 triggers)
1,086
13.7%
Moderate (3-4 triggers)
6,654
83.7%
High Risk (5+ triggers)
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 220 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Meatless Breakfast Patties
Soybean, Cane Sugar, Paprika, Yeast (Baker's), Citric Acid, Canola/Rapeseed, Wheat
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sara Lee Foods — Premium Turkey Breast
Turkey, Cane Sugar, Black Pepper, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Market Pantry — Peach Rings Gummi Candy
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Grape, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sara Lee Foods — Hardwood Smoked Turkey Breast and White Turkey
Turkey, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sara Lee Foods — Jimmy Dean, Fully Cooked Turkey Sausage Kinks
Turkey, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
Tomato, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Crushed in Tomato Puree
Tomato, Citric Acid, Garlic, Onion
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nabisco Food Company — Almonds, Bananas, Peaches, Blueberries, Cranberries, Cashews Antioxidant Mix, Almonds, Bananas, Peaches, Blueberries, Cranberries, Cashews
Almond, Cane Sugar, Banana, Peach, Cashew, Blueberry, Cranberry, Coconut, Sunflower, Peanut, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Berry Zero Sugar Thirst Quencher, Berry
Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Mixed Berry Triple Zero Blended Greek Nonfat Yogurt, Mixed Berry
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Inc. — Ice Cream, Strawberry
Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Strawberry, Corn, Whey, Lemon, Carob, Beet, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunts Garlic and Herb Spaghetti Sauce, 24 Oz
Tomato, Soybean, Carrot, Garlic, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Marshmallow Topping, #5 Can, 36 Oz
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Glycerin/Glycerol, Egg White, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Hershey Company — GRAPE DUO SUGAR FREE MINTS, GRAPE
Aspartame, Citric Acid, Corn, Soybean, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Honest Tea Loris Lemon Glass Bottle, 16 Fl Oz
Tea, Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 Beverage Tomato-low Sodium
Tomato, Carrot, Celery, Beet, Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Company — Meijer, Greek Style Lowfat Yogurt, Blackberry & Raspberry
Yogurt, Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Whey, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Sauce with Natural Sea Salt
Tomato, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — BERRY PEPSI WITH A SPLASH OF BERRY JUICE, BERRY
Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kellogg Company Us — Kellogg Fruit Pieces Disney Disney Frozen 3.2oz
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Pineapple Mango Smooth Finish Thirst Quencher, Pineapple Mango
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — SPARK ZERO SUGAR SODA WITH A BLAST OF RASPBERRY LEMONADE, SPARK
Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Aspartame, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dairylea Processed Cheese-portions Light 250.000 Gr
Cow's Milk, American Cheese, Whey, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Victoria Fine Foods Llc — Victoria, Fried Peppers with Onions
Chili Pepper, Onion, Canola/Rapeseed, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Clif Bar and Company — Athlete Series Shot Energy Gel
Corn, Cane Sugar, Cocoa, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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