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 31 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — FRUIT PUNCH THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, FRUIT PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
SOLERO — GRAPE CRUSHED FRUIT BARS, GRAPE
Grape, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Carob
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CHERRY SLICES
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORANGE LIQUID DRINK MIX, ORANGE
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, Benzoic Acid, Rosemary
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DIJON MUSTARD
Mustard, Grape, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SPRITE, LEMON-LIME FLAVORED SODA, TROPICAL , TROPICAL
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — ZERO CALORIE COLA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ORIGINAL TROPICAL LIME ZERO SUGAR SODA, ORIGINAL TROPICAL LIME
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Thirst Quencher Berry (12 - 12 Fluid Ounce) 144 Fluid Ounce 12 Pack Plastic Bottles
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — DIET COLA, DIET
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CHERRY ZERO CALORIE DRINK MIX, CHERRY
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, Corn
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — HEARTS SHAPED SOFT & CHEWY CANDY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMON-LIME LOW CALORIE GELATIN SNACKS, LEMON-LIME
Aspartame, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — CHERRY SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, CHERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORANGE FLAVORED JUICE DRINK BLEND FROM CONCENTRATE, ORANGE
Fructose, Corn, Orange, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — FRUIT PUNCH FLAVORED ZERO SUGAR PROTEIN THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, FRUIT PUNCH
Whey, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — OCEAN SPRAY, CRANBERRY COAST, DRIED CRANBERRIES
Cranberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Sunflower
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — CRISP & COOL THIRST QUENCHER
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Post Foods, LLC — PERFORMANCE ENERGY GEL
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Corn
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — WATERMELON ENDURANCE FORMULA THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, WATERMELON
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
KRAFT HEINZ BEVERAGES & SNACK NUTS — SPARKLING DRINK, ORANGE
Orange, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company — ROOT BEER
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — STRAWBERRY SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — LEMON LIME SODA, LEMON
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola Nestle Refreshments — ICED TEA, LEMON
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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