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 285 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Muir Glen Organic Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce
Tomato, Onion, Olive, Garlic, Citric Acid, Black Pepper, Oregano
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
P. K. Kinder Co., Inc. — CUBAN BLEND WITH CITRUS & GARLIC RUB, CUBAN BLEND WITH CITRUS & GARLIC
Garlic, Cane Sugar, Onion, Orange, Citric Acid, Rice, Lime, Sunflower
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — Tropical Twist Sugar Free Gum with Xylitol, Tropical Twist
Malt, Aspartame, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — Annie's, Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks, Berry Patch, Berry Patch
Tapioca, Pear, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Sunflower, Carrot
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Organic Seedless Blackberry Premium Spread
Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Summer Orange Organic Soda Mix
Cane Sugar, Orange, Rice, Citric Acid, Carrot
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands — Hunts Organic Diced Tomatoes
Tomato, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Human Kind — Organic Lemonade, Lemonade
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — Organic Strawberry Preserves Reduced Sugar, Strawberry
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Hershey Company — WATERMELON DUO SUGAR FREE MINTS, WATERMELON
Aspartame, Corn, Soybean, Citric Acid, Lecithin (Soy), FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Watermelon
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Strawberry Lemonade Organic Naturally Flavored Juice Beverage From Concentrate, Strawberry Lemonade
Cane Sugar, Lemon, Strawberry, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dairy-free Vanilla Yogurt Alternative
Soybean, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Vanilla
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Muir Glen Organic Garlic Cilantro Salsa
Tomato, Onion, Chili Pepper, Garlic, Coriander/Cilantro, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Organic Nonfat Yogurt
Yogurt, Cow's Milk, Cane Sugar, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Newman's Own, Inc. — Licorice Made with Organic Sugar Twists
Wheat, Cane Sugar, Corn, Fructose, Tapioca, Glycerin/Glycerol, Sunflower, Citric Acid, Strawberry
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — Sugar Free Low Calorie Drink Mix, Raspberry Lemonade
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Cane Sugar, Raspberry, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — White Grape Organic 100% Juice From Concentrate, White Grape
Grape, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BERRY CARROT BLAST FRUIT & VEGGIE BLENDS FLAVORED JUICE DRINK FROM CONCENTRATE, BERRY CARROT BLAST
Apple, Corn, Cane Sugar, Grape, Pear, Raspberry, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Terrapin Ridge Farms LLC — TROPICAL TEQUILA SAUCE, TROPICAL TEQUILA
Cane Sugar, Mango, Pineapple, Lime, Chili Pepper, Capsaicin, Solanine, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle USA Inc. — CHICKEN FLAVOR BOUILLON TABLETS, CHICKEN
MSG, Cane Sugar, Corn, Chicken, Onion, Turmeric, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Strawberry Aloe Vera Drink
Fructose, Strawberry, Citric Acid
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
McCormick & Company, Inc. — RANCH 3-IN-1 SEASONING, DIP & SALAD DRESSING MIX, RANCH
Garlic, Onion, Mustard, Cow's Milk, Yeast (Baker's), Citric Acid, Cane Sugar, Corn
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — ORGANIC SPAGHETTI RINGS PASTA IN TOMATO SAUCE
Tomato, Wheat, Cane Sugar, Corn, Onion, Garlic, Citric Acid, Paprika
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good & Gather — Pizza Sauce with Organic Tomatoes, Basil & Parsley, Pizza
Tomato, Citric Acid, Soybean, Garlic, Basil, Onion, Parsley
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — FRUIT ROLLS, WILDBERRY
Corn, Cane Sugar, Pear, Tapioca, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Blue #2
|
8 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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