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 49 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY-KIWI LOW CALORIE GELATIN SNACKS, STRAWBERRY-KIWI
Strawberry, Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORANGE TANGERINE GELATIN DESSERT MIX, ORANGE TANGERINE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Thirst Quencher Low Calorie Fruit Punch (8 - 20 Fluid Ounce) 160 Fluid Ounce 8 Pack Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mott's LLP — FRUIT JUICE & PURIFIED WATER GRAPE FLAVORED JUICE BLEND BEVERAGE, GRAPE
Grape, Apple, Pear, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — YELLOW SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, YELLOW
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSICO, INC — ROOT BEER SODA, ROOT BEER
Corn, Fructose, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. — BLACKBERRY SPARKLING FLAVORED JUICE BEVERAGE BLEND FROM CONCENTRATE, BLACKBERRY
Apple, Grape, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — JUJU HEARTS, JUJU HEARTS
Corn, Cane Sugar, FD&C Red #40, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — CREAM SODA, CREAM
Fructose, Corn, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SPRITE, NATURALLY LEMON-LIME & CHERRY FLAVORED SODA WITH OTHER NATURAL FLAVORS, CHERRY, CHERRY
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — CHUNKY DICED TOMATOES & GREEN CHILIES, CHUNKY
Tomato, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid, Coriander/Cilantro
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company-0049000000016 — Sprite Bottle, 2 Liters
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CAFFEINE FREE GINGER ALE, GINGER
Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Corn, Fructose
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CAFFEINE FREE CREME SODA, CREME
Fructose, Corn, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CHERRY PIE FILLING, NATURAL CHERRY
Cherry, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — LEMON-GINGER ENERGY GEL WITH CAFFEINE, LEMON-GINGER
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — SMUCKER'S, ORCHARD'S FINEST, COASTAL VALLEY, PEACH APRICOT PRESERVES
Peach, Apricot, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola Nestle Refreshments — GOLD PEAK, LEMONADE TEA, LEMON, LEMON
Tea, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Lemon
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — FLAVORED DRINK, STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORANGE FLAVORED SPARKLING DRINK, ORANGE
Orange, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — LEMON-LIME SODA, LEMON-LIME
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Tropicana Grape Juice Beverage 15.2 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Grape, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — ORANGE FRUIT JUICE GELS, ORANGE
Cane Sugar, Orange, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — 100% JUICE CITRUS SALAD
Grapefruit, Orange, Grape, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Coca-Cola Company-0049000000016 — Diet Coke Can, 12 fl oz
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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