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 279 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Campbell Soup Company — Organic Vegetable & Fruit Juice Beverage, Carrot Orange
Carrot, Orange, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
La Victoria Foods Inc. — Organic Medium Chunky Salsa, Medium Chunky
Tomato, Citric Acid, Onion, Chili Pepper, Garlic
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Nashville Organic Wing Sauce, Nashville
Corn, Chili Pepper, Cane Sugar, Chicken, Garlic, Paprika, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Organic Aloe Vera Drink
Cane Sugar, Grape, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
TURKEY HILL GREEN TEA, ONE GALLON
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine, Honey, Benzoic Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Rio Luna — Organic Hot Diced Green Chiles, Hot
Chili Pepper, Capsaicin, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MOUNTAIN DEW, FLAVORED SODA, BAJA BLAST , BAJA BLAST
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Cane Sugar, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — Organic Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, Original
Tomato, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid, Coriander/Cilantro
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — Blue Raspberry Vibes Sugar Free Gum, Blue Raspberry
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Blue #1, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — AIOLI SANDWICH SPREAD, SUNDRIED TOMATO
Soybean, Tomato, Egg Yolk, Corn, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Citric Acid, Lemon
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — RASPBERRY LEMONADE, CHERRY WATERMELON, PINEAPPLE PUNCH FLAVORED COLLISIONS GUMMIES, RASPBERRY LEMONADE, CHERRY WATERMELON, PINEAPPLE PUNCH
Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Sunflower, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY — V8 BEVERAGE HOT & SPICY VEGETABLE
Tomato, Carrot, Celery, Beet, Parsley, Lettuce, Spinach, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — SWEET WATERMELON SUGARFREE GUM, SWEET WATERMELON
Glycerin/Glycerol, Aspartame, Citric Acid, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
HONEY BBQ SAUCE
Honey, Tomato, Corn, Cane Sugar, Onion, Garlic, Mustard, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MINUTE MAID FRUIT PUNCH JUG, 128 FL OZ
Fructose, Corn, Apple, Pear, Grape, Pineapple, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
GENERAL MILLS SALES INC. — Fruit Roll-Ups Flavor Mixers 10 Count
Corn, Cane Sugar, Pear, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MTN DEW, SANGRITA BLAST
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Pacific Foods Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup, 32 Oz Carton
Cow's Milk, Tomato, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Citric Acid, Rice, Onion
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (Health Warrior) — CHIA BAR, MANGO
Rice, Oat, Cashew, Cane Sugar, Mango, Sunflower, Citric Acid, Lemon
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-cola Company-0049000000016 — Blue Sky Organic Cola Can, 12 Fl Oz
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Campbell Soup Company — Plum Organics, Shredz, Organic Fruit & Veggie Snacks for Kids, Super Apple, Super Apple
Apple, Carrot, Pumpkin, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cadia — Grape Organic Jelly, Grape
Grape, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Foods Inc. — Philadelphia Non-dairy Plant-based Original "cream Cheese" Spread, 8 Oz Tub
Coconut, Potato, Carob, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — FROST BITE SODA, FROST BITE
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Muir Glen Organic Ground Peeled Tomatoes
Tomato, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
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