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 266 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Tropical Blend Organic Italian Soda, Tropical Blend
Cane Sugar, Orange, Mango, Citric Acid, Carrot, Apple
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — Strawberry Sugar Free Low Calorie Juicy Gels, Strawberry
Apple, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Organic Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
Soybean, Tomato, Cane Sugar, Onion, Sunflower, Citric Acid, Garlic, Rice, Basil
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cold Brew Coffee Plant-based Protein Shake
Almond, Rice, Green Pea, Coffee, Cane Sugar, Sunflower, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sugar Free Peach Mango Flavor Sports Drink
Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Trader Joe's — Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Cow's Milk, Tomato, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Garlic, Citric Acid, Rice, Onion
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Organic Tropical Blend Italian Soda
Cane Sugar, Orange, Mango, Citric Acid, Carrot, Apple
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.m. Smucker Company — Concord Grape Sugar Free Jam, Concord Grape
Grape, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — ORIGINAL GUMMIES, ORIGINAL
Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Sunflower, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PASKESZ FRUIT CHEWS, 4 OZ
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Annie's Organic Strawberry Really Peely Fruit Tape 6 Count
Pear, Apple, Sunflower, Strawberry, Tapioca, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — Pie and Pastry Gluten Free Dough, Pie and Pastry
Soybean, Corn, Potato, Rice, Sorghum, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Organic Italian Whole Peeled in Juice with Basil Leaf Tomatoes
Tomato, Citric Acid, Basil
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Annie's Organic Berry Patch Bunny Fruit Snacks
Rice, Cane Sugar, Tapioca, Pear, Citric Acid, Sunflower, Carrot
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Unilever — Organic Chai Latte Black Tea Concentrate, Organic Chai Latte
Tea, Black Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Cane Sugar, Honey, Vanilla, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Organic Certified San Marzano Whole Peeled Tomatoes
Tomato, Basil, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — NON FAT YOGURT BOSTON CREAM PIE, LIGHT
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Turmeric
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mango Aloe Vera Drink
Fructose, Citric Acid, Mango
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Unilever — White/black Organic Blond Tea Latte Concentrate, White/black
Tea, Cane Sugar, Vanilla, Coumarin/Vanillin, Citric Acid, Cocoa
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — LOW FAT YOGURT, ORIGINAL STRAWBERRY
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Whey, Cane Sugar, Corn, Strawberry, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
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 |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — Organic Diced Vine - Ripened Tomatoes
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Citric Acid, Basil, Oregano
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomato Organic Pasta Sauce
Tomato, Onion, Olive, Garlic, Basil, Oregano, Citric Acid, Black Pepper, Thyme
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — Organic Lemonade
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MTN DEW, SODA, TYPHOON, TYPHOON
Fructose, Corn, Orange, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
Search Any Product
Check any grocery product against the full MRT 176 panel — not just Citric Acid.
Open the Food Checker