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 34 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Nabisco Food Company — UNSALTED 64% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD, UNSALTED
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Whey, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Frito-Lay Company — BAKEN-ETS, CHICHARRONES FRIED PORK SKIN, SALT VINEGAR, SALT VINEGAR
Pork, Corn, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Campbell Soup Company — SQUEEZABLE FRUIT
Apple, Pear, Carrot, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — MACARONI & CHEESE, SHELLS WITH REAL AGED CHEDDAR
Wheat, Cow's Milk, Whey, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ZERO CALORIE CHERRY DRINK MIX, CHERRY
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, Corn
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BLACKBERRY LEMONADE LIQUID DRINK MIX, BLACKBERRY LEMONADE
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — SQUEEZABLE JELLY, CONCORD GRAPE
Grape, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — PEACH REAL BREWED TEA, PEACH
Tea, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Lemon
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY KIWI GELATIN DESSERT, STRAWBERRY KIWI
Cane Sugar, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE STRAWBERRY LEMONADE UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
Citric Acid, Corn, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BLACKBERRY FUSION GELATIN DESSERT, BLACKBERRY FUSION
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DOVER FARMS, LOW FAT COTTAGE CHEESE
Cottage Cheese, Cow's Milk, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BOOYAKASHA BERRY GELATIN DESSERT, BOOYAKASHA BERRY
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — TROPICAL MIX CHUNKS FRUIT SNACKS, TROPICAL MIX CHUNKS
Pineapple, Papaya, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Thirst Quencher Raspberry Lemonade 32FOZ Pl Bot
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Low Calorie Fruit Punch Thirst Quencher 20 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kellogg Company US — Kellogg's Mini-Wheats Cereal Fruit Medley 15.5oz
Wheat, Cane Sugar, Rice, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — REAL BREWED TEA & LEMONADE, LEMONADE
Tea, Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — FRUITY KETO FRIENDLY CEREAL, FRUITY
Cow's Milk, Sunflower, Turmeric, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — DEL MONTE, RED GRAPEFRUIT SECTIONS IN LIGHT SYRUP
Grapefruit, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — GRAPE LOWER SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, GRAPE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — FLEISCHMANN'S, VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD, LIGHT, FLEISCHMANN'S, VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD, LIGHT
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — WATERMELON GELATIN DESSERT, WATERMELON
Cane Sugar, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — VOO-DEW MYSTERY FLAVOR ZERO SUGAR SODA, VOO-DEW
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — PINEAPPLE PRESERVES, PINEAPPLE
Pineapple, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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