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 39 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMON ICED TEA FLAVORED DRINK MIX, LEMON ICED TEA
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, Tea
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — DARK CHOCOLATE TOPPING, DARK CHOCOLATE
Cane Sugar, Cocoa, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — SWEET & REFRESHING BLACKBERRY COOLER GELATIN SNACKS, BLACKBERRY
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hershey Mexico, S.A. De C.V. — PELON PELO RICO, PELON PELO RICO SOFT CANDY, TAMARIND ORIGINAL, TAMARIND ORIGINAL
Cane Sugar, Corn, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Powder Fruit Punch 18.30Z
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Low Calorie Blueberry Pomegranate (8 - 16 Fluid Ounce) 128 Fluid Ounce 8 Pack Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Thirst Quencher Cool Blue 32 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — BUNNIES SHAPED SOFT & CHEWY CANDY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
GOOD & GATHER — PINEAPPLE MANGO FRUIT SPREAD, PINEAPPLE MANGO
Pineapple, Mango, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — GENOA SALAMI
Pork, Beef, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — HUNT'S, PASTA SAUCE, NO ADDED SUGAR, HUNT'S, PASTA SAUCE, NO ADDED SUGAR
Tomato, Carrot, Soybean, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — AMERICAN DELI DELUXE PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE SLICES, AMERICAN
American Cheese, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Paprika
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — ORANGE FLAVORED MINTS, ORANGE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — SMUCKER'S, SQUEEZE, REDUCED SUGAR, STRAWBERRY REDUCED SUGAR SPREAD
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — FLAVORED LEMON LIME SODA, LEMON LIME
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — FRUIT PUNCH THIRST QUENCHER POWDER JUICE, FRUIT PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BERRY BLUE SOFT DRINK, BERRY BLUE
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CONCORD GRAPE, JAM
Grape, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMON TEA DRINK MIX, LEMON TEA
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, Tea
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. — HOT APPLE CIDER K-CUP PODS, HOT APPLE
Apple, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Cinnamon
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — SODA, APPLE
Fructose, Corn, Apple, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — FRUITY ROLLS FRUIT FLAVORED SNACKS, STRAWBERRY SPLASH
Corn, Cane Sugar, Pear, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — WILD MAINE BLUEBERRY SYRUP, WILD MAINE BLUEBERRY
Blueberry, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company — Diet Coke Bottle, 8.5 fl oz
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — PIZZA SAUCE
Tomato, Garlic, Onion, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
Search Any Product
Check any grocery product against the full MRT 176 panel — not just Citric Acid.
Open the Food Checker