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 236 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
RAYGE CANDY & NUTS GUMMY WATERMELONS, 5 OZ
Cane Sugar, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSICO, INC — CLEMENTINE BURSTS NATURALLY FLAVORED FRUIT SNACKS, CLEMENTINE BURSTS
Pear, Corn, Cane Sugar, Fructose, Grape, Citric Acid, Turmeric
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — WHITE CHEDDAR SPIRALS MACARONI & CHEESE DINNER, WHITE CHEDDAR SPIRALS
Wheat, Whey, Cow's Milk, Tapioca, Citric Acid, Paprika, Turmeric
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ZESTY ITALIAN DRESSING, LITE
Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Paprika
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — BUTTERSCOTCH FLAVORED TOPPING, BUTTERSCOTCH
Corn, Fructose, Cow's Milk, Barley, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Pacific Foods Organic Creamy Light in Sodium Tomato Soup, 32 Oz Carton
Cow's Milk, Tomato, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Rice, Garlic, Onion
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — MOCHA FLAVORED COFFEE DRINK K-CUP PODS, MOCHA
Cane Sugar, Coconut, Corn, Cow's Milk, Coffee, Cocoa, Citric Acid
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc. — ORGANIC GARLIC WITH TOPPINGS HOMMUS
Sesame, Sunflower, Garlic, Citric Acid, Cumin, Olive, Parsley
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — PEACH HARVEST ICED TEA DRINK, PEACH HARVEST
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Tropicana Twister Lemonade 59 Fluid Ounce Paper Carton
Corn, Fructose, Lemon, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5, Cane Sugar
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MOUNTAIN DEW, SUPERNOVA, SODA, STRAWBERRY MELON, AND GINSENG, STRAWBERRY MELON, AND GINSENG
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — JELLY BEAN
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1, FD&C Yellow #5
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kinderfarms LLC — ORGANIC PLANT PROTEIN 8 G KIDS NUTRITION SHAKE, VANILLA, VANILLA
Green Pea, Tapioca, Cane Sugar, Sunflower, Rice, Citric Acid, Vanilla
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — EXTREME SOUR SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, EXTREME SOUR
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
GENERAL MILLS SALES INC. — Old El Paso Mild Red Enchilada Sauce
Tomato, Corn, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Soybean, Citric Acid, Onion
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MARKET PANTRY — MIXED BERRY FRUIT-FLAVORED SNACKS
Corn, Cane Sugar, Apple, Pork, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
KOREAN BBQ FLAVOR PLANT-BASED STEAK
Soybean, Sunflower, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Yeast (Baker's), Citric Acid
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — LOW FAT YOGURT, ORIGINAL CHERRY VANILLA
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Cherry, Corn, Citric Acid, Vanilla
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods-Snack Foods Group — SLIM JIM, SAUSAGE BITES, ORIGINAL, ORIGINAL
Beef, Pork, Chicken, Soybean, Corn, Paprika, Citric Acid
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (CytoSport) — GO BANANAS PRO SERIES NON-DAIRY PROTEIN SHAKE, GO BANANAS
Cow's Milk, Canola/Rapeseed, Sunflower, Carrageenan, FD&C Yellow #5, Corn, Citric Acid
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — GREEK NONFAT YOGURT, KEY LIME
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Whey, Cane Sugar, Lime, Corn, Citric Acid
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Russ Davis Wholesale — MEDIUM SALSA MEXICANA, MEDIUM
Tomato, Onion, Chili Pepper, Coriander/Cilantro, Garlic, Lime, Citric Acid
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Frozen Foods — BANQUET, BROWN 'N SERVE, FULLY COOKED SAUSAGE CRUMBLES, HOT & SPICY, BANQUET, BROWN 'N SERVE, FULLY COOKED SAUSAGE CRUMBLES, HOT & SPICY
Pork, Turkey, Soybean, MSG, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar, Corn
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc. — AVOCADO HOMMUS, AVOCADO
Avocado, Sesame, Sunflower, Lemon, Garlic, Cumin, Citric Acid
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
RBR Wholesale, LLC — MEXICAN CANDY, JABALINA
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Chili Pepper, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
7 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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