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 48 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Nestle Waters North America Inc. — NESTEA, ICED TEA, PEACH
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Mixed Berry Thirst Quencher (12 - 12 Fluid Ounce) 144 Fluid Ounce 12 Pack Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — CHERRY LIME ELECTROLYTE BEVERAGE POWDER, CHERRY LIME
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Lipton — SWEETENED ICED TEA MIX
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Tea, Carrot
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — YELLOW CLING DICED PEACHES IN NATURALLY FLAVORED 100% JUICE
Peach, Pear, Apple, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — PUNCH CARROT CRAZE FRUIT & VEGGIE BLENDS FLAVORED JUICE DRINK FROM CONCENTRATE, PUNCH CARROT CRAZE
Apple, Carrot, Grape, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY KIWI LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, STRAWBERRY KIWI
Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Low Calorie Grape Thirst Quencher (6 - 12 Fl Oz) 72 Fluid Ounce 6 Pack Plastic Bottles
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade G2 Low Calorie Grape Thirst Quencher 12 Fluid Ounce Bottle.
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — MOVIE THEATER BUTTER FLAVORED POP KIT GOURMET POPPING CORN, MOVIE THEATER BUTTER
Corn, Turmeric, Citric Acid, Polysorbate 80
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nestle Waters North America Inc. — TEA
Tea, Caffeine, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORCHARD APPLE LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, ORCHARD APPLE
Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE STRAWBERRY KIWI UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY KIWI
Citric Acid, Corn, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — MANGO PASSIONFRUIT LIQUID DRINK MIX, MANGO PASSIONFRUIT
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — FRUIT PUNCH FLAVOR ZERO SUGAR PROTEIN THIRST QUENCHER, FRUIT PUNCH
Whey, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — GATORADE G2 RASPBERRY MELON 32Z
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMON FLAVOR GELATIN DESSERT, LEMON
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — MILD PEPPER SPREAD, MILD PEPPER
Cane Sugar, Chili Pepper, Capsaicin, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY GELATIN UNICORN SLIME MIX, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — DIET SODA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
BJ's Wholesale Club / Corporate Brands — SUN DRIED TOMATOES
Tomato, Sunflower, Citric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company — ZERO CALORIE SODA, ROOT BEER
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CAFFEINE FREE ROOT BEER SODA, ROOT BEER
Fructose, Corn, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — LIME DIET COLA, LIME
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — SUGAR FREE BLUEBERRY SYRUP
Blueberry, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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