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 47 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
PEPSICO, INC — LEMON DIET ICED TEA, LEMON
Citric Acid, Tea, Aspartame, Lemon
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — SODA, CLASSIC ROOT BEER
Corn, Fructose, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — ION4 SPORTS DRINK WITH VITAMINS B3, B6 & B12, MOUNTAIN BERRY BLAST
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — CHERRY LIME ENERGY GEL, CHERRY LIME
Corn, Rice, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — SQUEEZABLE FRUIT, STRAWBERRY FLAVORED FRUIT PUREE, STRAWBERRY
Apple, Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
ORGANIC STRAWBERRY PREMIUM SPREAD
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Apple, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MANGO LEMONADE
Mango, Lemon, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — STRAWBERRY THIRST QUENCHER, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — POWERADE, SPORT DRINK MIX, FRUIT PUNCH, FRUIT PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — NORTHWEST TRIPLE BERRY PRESERVES
Raspberry, Blueberry, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — MIO, FIT LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, LEMON LIME, LEMON LIME
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company — HONEST TEA, MANGO ACAI WHITE TEA
Cane Sugar, Tea, Mango, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — DICED TOMATOES WITH ROASTED GARLIC & HERB, ROASTED GARLIC & HERB
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
ORGANIC APRICOT PREMIUM SPREAD
Apricot, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Apple
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — ORANGE MARMALADE
Corn, Fructose, Orange, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — APRICOT PRESERVES
Apricot, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — DICKINSON'S, PURE BLACK SWEET CHERRY PRESERVES
Cherry, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CHERRY LEMONADE GELATIN DESSERT, CHERRY LEMONADE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Thirst Quencher Low Calorie Lemon-Lime (8 - 20 Fl Oz) 160 Fluid Ounce 8 Pack Plastic Bottles
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Hillshire Brands Company — ORIGINAL PORK SAUSAGE PATTIES, ORIGINAL
Pork, Cane Sugar, MSG, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — ELECTROLYTE BEVERAGE POWDER, ORANGE, ORANGE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods-Snack Foods Group — MOVIE THEATER BUTTER MICROWAVE POPCORN, MOVIE THEATER BUTTER
Corn, Turmeric, Paprika, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — PREMIUM AMERICAN DELI DELUXE CHEESE, AMERICAN
American Cheese, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Paprika
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade 02 Perform Thirst Quencher Orange 50.9 Ounce Instant Powder Mix Tin
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
BLUE RASPBERRY TINY TANGY FRUITY CHEWS
Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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