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 23 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ROOT BEER ZERO SUGAR SODA, ROOT BEER
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — LIQUID HOT CHOCOLATE FLAVORED DRINK BASE, LIQUID HOT CHOCOLATE
Cane Sugar, Cocoa, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — COOL BLUE LOWER SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER, COOL BLUE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Of Ny — SEAGRAM'S, GINGER ALE, DIET, CAFFEINE FREE
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN DESSERT, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, FD&C Red #40, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — ORIGINAL DICED TOMATOES WITH GREEN CHILIES, ORIGINAL, GREEN CHILIES
Tomato, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — SLICED PEACHES
Peach, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
CRUSH POMEGRANATE & GRAPE CRUSHED SUPERFOOD SNACK, CRUSH
Apple, Grape, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Monster Energy Company — LEMONADE
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Califia Farms, LP — PURE ALMOND MILK
Almond, Sunflower, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
NESTLE — TANGY SWEET LEMON FLAVORED SPARKLING WATER BEVERAGE, LEMON
Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Aspartame
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSICO, INC — WILD CHERRY ZERO SUGAR COLA, WILD CHERRY
Aspartame, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — GELATIN DESSERT, RASPBERRY
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — PURE STRAWBERRY PRESERVES, STRAWBERRY
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — TENDER WHITE MICROWAVE GOURMET POPPING CORN, TENDER WHITE
Corn, Soybean, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — MIXED BERRY NATURALLY SWEETENED DRINK MIX, MIXED BERRY
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Carrot
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — MICROWAVE POPCORN, EXTRA BUTTER
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
GINGER BEER MIXER
Cane Sugar, Ginger, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — HOT PEPPER SPREAD, HOT PEPPER
Chili Pepper, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Terrapin Ridge Farms LLC — RASPBERRY AMARETTO JAM, RASPBERRY AMARETTO
Cane Sugar, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Terrapin Ridge Farms LLC — STRAWBERRY & FIG JAM, STRAWBERRY & FIG
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — PURE SEEDLESS BOYSENBERRY JAM, PURE SEEDLESS BOYSENBERRY
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — DIET SIERRA MIST, LEMON-LIME SODA, LEMON-LIME, LEMON-LIME
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Unilever — ROSE PINK LATTE HERBAL TEA CONCENTRATE, ROSE PINK LATTE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Beet
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — 51% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
3 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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