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 224 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Campbell Soup Company — Plum Baby Baby Food Banana Raspberry Barley
Banana, Citric Acid, Raspberry, Barley, Lemon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Pineapple Tidbits in 100% Juice, Pineapple Tidbits
Pineapple, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Medium Enchilada Sauce
Tomato, Chili Pepper, Corn, Soybean, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic, Yeast (Baker's)
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Trader Joe's, Onion Dip Mix
Onion, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Black Pepper, Safflower, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
McCormick & Company, Inc. — DIJON HICKORY SMOKED MUSTARD, DIJON HICKORY SMOKED
Mustard, Citric Acid, Turmeric, Grape, Yeast (Baker's), Corn
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN MIX CONSTRUCTION CUTTERS KIT
Cane Sugar, Beef, Pork, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Fierce Grape Thirst Quencher 64 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1, Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Chobani, Inc. — STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE INSPIRED ZERO SUGAR YOGURT-CULTURED ULTRA-FILTERED NONFAT MILK, STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Strawberry, Tapioca, Citric Acid, Lemon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Red Bull North America, Inc. — The Cherry Edition Energy Drink, Wild Cherry
Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — STRAWBERRY SORBET BARS, STRAWBERRY
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Carob, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo Inc. Brand Owner — Quaker Instant Quaker Oatmeal Express Cup Apple Cinnamon 1.51Z/12
Oat, Cane Sugar, Apple, Sodium Metabisulfite, Cinnamon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Old El Paso Medium Red Enchilada Sauce
Tomato, Corn, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Soybean, Citric Acid, Onion
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — THIRST QUENCHER SPORTS DRINK
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Diet Pepsi Soda (24-16.9 Fl Oz) 405.6 Fluid Ounce 24 Pack Plastic Bottles
Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Tazo, Inc. — Tazo Brambleberry Tea 13.8 Fluid Ounce Glass Bottle
Cinnamon, Mint/Menthol, Orange, Lemon, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
GENERAL MILLS SALES INC. — Yoplait Light Blueberry Patch Yogurt
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Blueberry, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — 2% SMALL CURD COTTAGE CHEESE
Cottage Cheese, Cow's Milk, Whey, Citric Acid, Carrageenan, Carob
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Chili Turkey with Beans
Turkey, Navy Bean, Corn, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Tomato, Oat, Citric Acid, Onion
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Monster Energy Company — Hubert's, Lemonade, Original
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — 365 Everyday Value, Hodgepodge Harvest Trail Mix
Grape, Sunflower, Peanut, Date, Oat, Papaya, Cane Sugar, Pineapple, Citric Acid, Cranberry, Pumpkin, Almond
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Tribe Mediterranean Foods, Inc. — Everything Hummus
Canola/Rapeseed, Garlic, Sesame, Onion, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cia. Topo Chico, S.a. — Tamarind
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Fruit Snack Cups
Peach, Pineapple, Pear, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Finest Kind, 1933 Oolong Tea, Ginger, Lime
Tea, Lime, Honey, Citric Acid, Ginger
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Waters North America Inc. — Nestea, Diet Iced Tea, Lemon
Citric Acid, Tea, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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