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 42 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
PINK LEMONADE
Lemon, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. — SNAPPLE LEMON ICED TEA
Cane Sugar, Tea, Citric Acid, Aspartame
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE GRAPE UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, GRAPE
Citric Acid, Corn, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TANGERINE MANGO NATURALLY SWEETENED DRINK MIX, TANGERINE MANGO
Citric Acid, Corn, Cane Sugar, Turmeric
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE PASSION FRUIT FLAVORED JUICE DRINK, CRANBERRY PINEAPPLE PASSION FRUIT
Cane Sugar, Cranberry, Pineapple, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MINUTE MAID LIMEADE CAN, 12 FL OZ
Fructose, Corn, Lime, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — JELL-O, GELATIN DESSERT, PEACH, PEACH
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — PETITE DICED TOMATOES WITH GARLIC & OLIVE OIL, GARLIC & OLIVE OIL
Tomato, Garlic, Olive, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
International Wholesalers Corp — GREEN TEA WITH LEMON JUICE DRINK, GREEN TEA WITH LEMON
Tea, Lemon, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Of Ny — SEAGRAM'S, GINGER ALE, GINGER, GINGER
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — MANDARIN ORANGES IN 100% FRUIT JUICE
Orange, Grape, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — SODA, GINGER ALE
Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Corn, Fructose
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — JIGGLERS MOLD KIT, BERRY BLUE, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMON GELATIN MIX, LEMON
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ZERO SUGAR SNAPPIN' GREEN APPLE FLAVORED LOW CALORIE DRINK MIX, SNAPPIN' GREEN APPLE
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade 02 Perform Thirst Quencher Frost Glacier Freeze 50.9 Ounce Instant Powder Mix Tin
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — BLACKBERRY FLAVORED ENERGY GEL, BLACKBERRY
Corn, Rice, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — TROPICAL LIME ZERO SUGAR SODA, TROPICAL LIME
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PREMIUM GINGER BREW ALL NATURAL JAMAICAN STYLE GINGER ALE
Cane Sugar, Ginger, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — PORK SAUSAGE
Pork, Cane Sugar, Canola/Rapeseed, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MAPLE BREAKFAST LINKS FULLY COOKED SAUSAGE
Pork, Cane Sugar, Maple Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Minute Maid Company — PEACH WITH GINGER FLAVORED JUICE BEVERAGE, PEACH WITH GINGER
Cane Sugar, Peach, Ginger, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — 41% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — VANILLA FLAVORED CALORIE FREE COLA, VANILLA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — PIE CRUST
Wheat, Soybean, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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