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 301 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Frito-Lay Company — SUNFLOWER SEEDS, DILL PICKLE
Sunflower, Corn, Citric Acid, Mustard, MSG, Garlic, Onion, Cane Sugar, Yeast (Baker's)
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (CytoSport) — PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY FLAVORED PLANT-BASED PROTEIN BAR, PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY
Peanut, Cane Sugar, Rice, Tapioca, Glycerin/Glycerol, Grape, Strawberry, Sunflower, Citric Acid
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — CODE RED SODA WITH A RUSH OF CHERRY, CODE RED
Corn, Fructose, Orange, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — ORIGINAL STRAWBERRY, LEMON, ORANGE & CHERRY FRUIT CHEWS, ORIGINAL
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Tapioca, Apple, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
McCormick & Company, Inc. — CHICKEN PARMESAN ONE SHEET PAN SEASONING MIX
Wheat, Yeast (Baker's), Cane Sugar, Garlic, Cow's Milk, Basil, Oregano, Onion, Citric Acid
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — STRAWBERRY, LEMON, GREEN APPLE, ORANGE, GRAPE BITE SIZE CANDIES, STRAWBERRY, LEMON, GREEN APPLE, ORANGE, GRAPE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Tapioca, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1, Blue #2
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Near East Couscous Tomato Lentil 6.1 Ounce Paper Box
Wheat, Tomato, Lentil, Onion, Garlic, Olive, Yeast (Baker's), Citric Acid, Turmeric
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (CytoSport) — STRAWBERRY BANANA PLANT-BASED PROTEIN & GREENS FRUIT & VEGETABLE POWDER DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY BANANA
Green Pea, Rice, Cane Sugar, Strawberry, Banana, Broccoli, Spinach, Beet, Citric Acid
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — RUBY CACAO CHERRIES
Cane Sugar, Cocoa, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, Cherry, Sunflower, Beet
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Tyson Foods, Inc. — BUFFALO STYLE HOT WINGS, BUFFALO STYLE
Chicken, Chili Pepper, Garlic, Soybean, Corn, Onion, Paprika, Wheat, Citric Acid
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY — R&W HR TOM SOUP 23.2 OZ
Tomato, Corn, Fructose, Wheat, Canola/Rapeseed, Soybean, Citric Acid, Celery, Garlic
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
RAYGE CANDY & NUTS CHEWSY FRUITS, 8 OZ
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Lay's Dill Pickle Potato Chips 9.5 Ounce Bag
Potato, Sunflower, Corn, Canola/Rapeseed, Garlic, Yeast (Baker's), Dill, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
GENERAL MILLS SALES INC. — Bugles Hot & Spicy Crispy Corn Snack
Corn, Coconut, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Yeast (Baker's), Paprika, Citric Acid, Tomato
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Unilever — SANDWICH SPREAD
Soybean, Cane Sugar, Cucumber, Mustard, Corn, Egg Yolk, Onion, Citric Acid, Paprika
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — SPICY HABANERO SOUR CREAM DIP, SPICY HABANERO
Cow's Milk, Corn, Onion, Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Garlic, Citric Acid, Whey, Carrageenan
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — ORGANIC BUNNY FRUIT SNACKS VARIETY PACK, SUMMER STRAWBERRY, BERRY PATCH
Tapioca, Cane Sugar, Grape, Citric Acid, Carrot, Sunflower, Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DRINK MIX, LEMON ICED TEA
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, Tea, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — ORIGINAL FRUIT CHEWS, ORIGINAL
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Tapioca, Apple, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars Chocolate North America LLC — FRUIT CHEWS
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Tapioca, Apple, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSICO, INC — PINEAPPLE MANGO SODA, PINEAPPLE MANGO
Corn, Fructose, Pineapple, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — SMOOTHIES PEACH GUAVA SMOOTHIE, RASPBERRY SMOOTHIE, STRAWBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE, MANGO SMOOTHIE, BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE BITE SIZE CANDIES, SMOOTHIES
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Tapioca, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Blue #2
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — TOMATO CONDENSED SOUP
Tomato, Corn, Fructose, Wheat, Canola/Rapeseed, Soybean, Citric Acid, Celery, Garlic
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CREAM OF MUSHROOM CONDENSED SOUP, CREAM OF MUSHROOM
Mushroom, Corn, Canola/Rapeseed, Soybean, Wheat, MSG, Garlic, Citric Acid, Yeast (Baker's)
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MTN DEW, CODE RED, SODA, WITH A RUSH OF CHERRY FLAVOR
Fructose, Corn, Orange, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
9 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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