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 223 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Mandarin Oranges
Orange, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Yoplait USA — Yoplait, Trix Low Fat Yogurt, Strawberry Banana Bash, Strawberry Banana Bash
Cow's Milk, Whey, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Turmeric
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — Pure Boysenberry Preserves, Pure Boysenberry
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — Tomato Sauce, Tomato
Tomato, Onion, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 V-fusion Beverage Pineapple Strawberry
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Grape, Apple, Pineapple, Strawberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Old El Paso Thick 'n Chunky Medium Salsa
Tomato, Onion, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Coriander/Cilantro, Citric Acid, Lemon, Solanine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Sprite Mexico Glass Bottle, 355 Ml
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — GRAPE SODA, GRAPE
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good Humor-breyers Ice Cream — Popsicle, Jolly Rancher, Ice Pops, Grape, Cherry, Blue Raspberry and Green Apple, Artificially Flavored
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Beet, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Starbucks Coffee Company — Tazo, Flavored Sweetened Herbal Iced Tea, Iced Passion
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Orange, Cinnamon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — Apples in Raspberry Gel
Apple, Cane Sugar, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Candy
Corn, Cane Sugar, Cow's Milk, Coconut, Almond, Honey, Egg White, Canola/Rapeseed, Safflower, Soybean, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Yoplait USA — Yoplait, Trix Low Fat Yogurt, Strawberry Punch
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — Diced Nectarines in 100% Fruit Juice
Grape, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Beyond Meat — Beefy Beyond Beef Plant-based Crumbles
Green Pea, Canola/Rapeseed, Sunflower, Rice, Tomato, Yeast (Baker's), Cane Sugar, Tapioca, Corn, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ski — Citrus Soda
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Orange, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Waters North America Inc. — Nestea, Iced Tea, Raspberry, Raspberry
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunts Diced Tomatoes with Sweet Onions, 14.5 Oz
Tomato, Onion, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunts Tomato Sauce, 14.8 Oz
Tomato, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic, Chili Pepper
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Banquet Refrigerated Brown N Serve Turkey Sausage Links, 16 Oz
Turkey, Soybean, Citric Acid, Corn
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Fd Shd Tst Gd Ktl Cked Sweet Pot Chips BBQ
Sweet Potato, Sunflower, Corn, Cane Sugar, Yeast (Baker's), Tomato, Onion, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Mtn Dew Soda 12 Fluid Ounce Can
Fructose, Corn, Orange, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Yellow #5
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Gold Peak Raspberry Tea Bottle, 52 Fl Oz
Tea, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Fanta Strawberry Soda Can, 12 Fl Oz
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Honest Tea Lemon Grove Maple Black Tea-ko Glass Bottle, 16 Fl Oz
Tea, Lemon, Ginger, Cane Sugar, Maple Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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