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 227 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Nestle Dreyer's Ice Cream — Coconut Waters Fruit Ice Bars, Pineapple
Coconut, Cane Sugar, Pineapple, Corn, Carob, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Act Ii Buttery Kettle Corn, 16.5 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Old El Paso Hot Red Enchilada Sauce
Tomato, Corn, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Soybean, Citric Acid, Onion
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Aqfs Lqenh Wldstr 1.62oz Pet
Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Brisk Diet Tea with Lemon 12 Fluid Ounce Aluminum Can
Citric Acid, Tea, Benzoic Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Minute Maid Sparkling Mixed Berry Bottle, 16.9 Fl Oz
Cranberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Lime, Citric Acid, Corn, Glycerin/Glycerol, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Plum Tots Tots Snacks Mango Banana Bean
Mango, Banana, Citric Acid, Navy Bean, Sunflower, Lemon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — KNUDSEN, LOWFAT COTTAGE CHEESE
Cottage Cheese, Cow's Milk, Whey, Yogurt, Citric Acid, Carrageenan
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Frozen Greek Yogurt
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Strawberry, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Ocean Spray, Cran Apple
Cane Sugar, Beet, Cranberry, Apple, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Fresh Mozzarella Bocconcini
Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Solero — Fruit Bars
Cane Sugar, Pineapple, Carob, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Angela Mia Fully Prepared Pizza Sauce, #10 Can, 6/106 Oz., 106 Oz
Tomato, Onion, Olive, Garlic, Basil, Black Pepper, Citric Acid, Oregano
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunts Garlic Herb Pasta Sauce, 48 Oz
Tomato, Soybean, Carrot, Garlic, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — V8 Splash Beverage Cherry Limeade
Fructose, Corn, Sweet Potato, Lime, Cherry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Dannon, Danimals, Squeezables Lowfat Yogurt, Banana Cream
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Tapioca, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Ocean Spray, Craisins, Sweetened Dried Cranberries, Orange
Cranberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mccormick & Company, Inc. — Mild Salsa Naturala Mix
Onion, Garlic, Tomato, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Coriander/Cilantro, Corn, Citric Acid, Paprika, Lemon
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Starbucks Coffee Company — Caffeine-free Iced Passion Herbal Tea Concentrate, Iced Passion
Citric Acid, Orange, Cinnamon, Cane Sugar
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
British Wholesale Imports, Inc. — Burts, British Hand Cooked Potato Chips, Sea Salt & Malted Vinegar
Potato, Sunflower, Barley, Cane Sugar, Rice, Citric Acid, Yeast (Baker's)
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Whole Peeled Tomatoes
Tomato, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Columbus Manufacturing, Inc. — Deli Style Mustard
Mustard, Grape, Corn, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Turmeric, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — Coconut Water
Peach, Coconut, Mango, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mott's Llp — Mai Tai Mix
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Traditional Guacamole, Traditional
Avocado, Chili Pepper, Garlic, Onion, Lime, Coriander/Cilantro, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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