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 37 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — SEEDLESS RED RASPBERRY
Raspberry, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — SUPER-SHARP PASTEURIZED PROCESS CHEDDAR CHEESE, SUPER-SHARP CHEDDAR
American Cheese, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Paprika
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — COUNTRY DIJON MUSTARD, WHITE WINE
Mustard, Grape, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GRAPE UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, GRAPE
Citric Acid, Corn, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Unilever — UNSWEETENED ICED PASSION, UNSWEETENED
Apple, Orange, Cinnamon, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. (Rockstar) — BLUE RAZ ENERGY DRINK, BLUE RAZ
Citric Acid, Caffeine, Benzoic Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY ORANGE LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, STRAWBERRY ORANGE
Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — POWERADE, SPORTS DRINK, STRAWBERRY LEMONADE, STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — KOOL-AID, UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, JAMAICA, JAMAICA
Citric Acid, Corn, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — HANSEN'S NATURAL, JUICE, CRANBERRY APPLE, CRANBERRY APPLE
Apple, Grape, Cranberry, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — BLUEBERRY LEMON FRUIT SPREAD, BLUEBERRY LEMON
Blueberry, Cane Sugar, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Northern New England, Inc. — MOXIE, DIET COLA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN MIX JUNGLE CUTTERS KIT, LEMON GELATIN
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY BANANA DRINK MIX PACKETS, STRAWBERRY BANANA
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Levant Mediterranean Snacks LLC — LEVANT, HUMMUS, ORIGINAL, ORIGINAL
Sesame, Sunflower, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — LEMON-LIME FLAVORED THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, LEMON-LIME
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — JELLY HEARTS CANDY, JELLY HEARTS
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company-0049000000016 — Sprite Bottle, 12 fl oz
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSICO, INC — CHERRY ENDURANCE FORMULA THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, CHERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — 65% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD, UNSALTED
Soybean, Whey, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — DIET COLA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — PEACH PIE FILLING & TOPPING, PEACH
Peach, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DIJON MUSTARD MADE WITH WHITE WINE, DIJON
Mustard, Grape, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — WATERMELON JAMMERS DRINK, WATERMELON
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — CONCORD GRAPE JAM, CONCORD GRAPE
Grape, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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