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 35 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Lipton — LEMONADE FLAVOR ICED TEA K-CUP PODS, LEMONADE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Tea, Corn
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — FRUIT PUNCH LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, FRUIT PUNCH
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN SNACKS, BLUEBERRY, STRAWBERRY, ORIGINAL
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BRRR BERRY FLAVORED SNOW DAY JAMMERS DRINK, BRRR BERRY
Blue #1, Citric Acid, Corn, Fructose
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
SEA SALT & VINEGAR NO SHELLS PISTACHIOS
Pistachio, Sunflower, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN DESSERT, LEMON
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMONADE FLAVORED SPARKLING DRINK, LEMONADE
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Yellow #5
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Thirst Quencher Blueberry-Pomegranate (6-12 Fl Oz) 72 Fluid Ounce 6 Pack Plastic Bottles
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Thirst Quencher Low Calorie Grape Powder Packs (8-0.52 Oz) 4.2 Ounce 8 Pack Canister
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Frost Glacier Cherry Thirst Quencher 32 Fluid Ounce Bottle.
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — CREAM ZERO SUGAR SODA SHOP COLA, CREAM
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — KING SIZE MINI SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, KING SIZE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — DIET SODA, COLA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — GRAPE LOWER SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER, GRAPE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SPRITE, FLAVORED SODA, TROPICAL MIX, TROPICAL MIX
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — RED RASPBERRY SYRUP, RED RASPBERRY
Raspberry, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — CRANBERRY ELDERBERRY FLAVORED BLEND OF 4 JUICES FROM CONCENTRATE, CRANBERRY ELDERBERRY
Apple, Cranberry, Grape, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — GUAVA COCONUT FRUIT BARS, GUAVA COCONUT
Cane Sugar, Coconut, Carob, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — RASPBERRY WHITE TEA, RASPBERRY
Tea, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Raspberry
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SODA, LEMON-LIME
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ZERO SUGAR COLA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Minute Maid Company — ORANGE PULP FREE VITAMIN C & ZINC 25% JUICE BEVERAGE FROM CONCENTRATE, ORANGE
Orange, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ZERO SUGAR SODA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Tropicana Trop50 Pineapple Mango Juice 59 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Pineapple, Apple, Mango, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — MANGO PEACH LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, MANGO PEACH
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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