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 257 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Annie's Organic Summer Strawberry Bunny Fruit Snacks
Tapioca, Cane Sugar, Pear, Citric Acid, Sunflower, Carrot
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — +ENERGY BEVERAGE, ORANGE PINEAPPLE
Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple, Orange, Pineapple, Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Tropicana Twister Tropical Punch Flavored Drink 59 Fluid Ounce Paper Carton
Corn, Fructose, Grape, Apple, Pineapple, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Lay's Kettle Cooked Sea Salt & Venigar Potato Chips 2.875 Ounce Bag
Potato, Sunflower, Corn, Canola/Rapeseed, Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Yeast (Baker's), Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — BAJA MANGO GEM SODA WITH A BLAST OF NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL MANGO FLAVOR, BAJA MANGO GEM
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, Mango
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — CHEF BOYARDEE, PASTA SAUCE, MUSHROOM, MUSHROOM
Tomato, Mushroom, Fructose, Corn, Soybean, Citric Acid, Garlic, Onion
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks, Sunny Citrus, Berry Patch, Tropical Treat, Summer Strawberry
Tapioca, Cane Sugar, Grape, Citric Acid, Carrot, Turmeric, Sunflower
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — HOT FUDGE TOFFEE, TOPPING
Corn, Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Coconut, Cocoa, Whey, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 80
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Zero Sugar Pineapple Blueberry Organic Energy Drink
Citric Acid, Caffeine, Coffee
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — Maple Organic Cold-brew Non-dairy Oat Milk Latte, Maple
Coffee, Maple Sugar, Cane Sugar, Sunflower, Oat, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pineapple Flavored Refreshing Aloe Vera Drink, Pineapple
Fructose, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Pineapple
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Pacific Foods Organic Vanilla Almond Milk, Plant Based Milk, 32 Oz Carton
Cane Sugar, Almond, Vanilla, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — MARINARA SAUCE, MARINARA
Tomato, Onion, Olive, Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Black Pepper, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes 6 Pack
Tomato, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Zero Sugar Ginger Peach Organic Energy Drink
Citric Acid, Caffeine, Coffee
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Starbucks Coffee Company — Vanilla Sugar-free Syrup, Vanilla
Citric Acid, Corn
|
8 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — :ratio Mixed Berry Keto Beverage
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Sunflower, Avocado, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Muir Glen Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce with No Sugar Added
Tomato, Olive, Onion, Carrot, Basil, Garlic, Black Pepper, Citric Acid, Oregano
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — DRESSING, ITALIAN
Soybean, Garlic, Onion, Cane Sugar, Corn, Apple, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAPRI SUN ROARIN' WATERS FLAVORED WATER BEVERAGE VARIETY PACK, 6 FL OZ, 30 COUNT
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Grape, Strawberry, Apple, Pineapple, Cherry
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MAJOR MELON CHARGED WITH WATERMELON, MAJOR MELON
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Watermelon
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kellogg Company Us — Pure Organic Pure Layered Fruit Bars Pineapple Passion .63oz
Apple, Pineapple, Lemon, Carrot, Blueberry, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company — Organic Half Tea & Half Lemonade
Tea, Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk, Unsweetened Vanilla
Almond, Vanilla, Citric Acid, Sunflower
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cadia — Strawberry Organic Preserves, Strawberry
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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