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 52 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
McCormick & Company, Inc. — CHILE 'N LIME HOT SAUCE
Chili Pepper, Capsaicin, Citric Acid, Lime
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — LEMON-LIME DIET SODA, STRAWBERRY KIWI SPLASH
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kinderfarms LLC — LEMON LIME ADVANCED NATURAL ELECTROLYTE POWDER, LEMON LIME
Corn, Citric Acid, Lemon, Lime
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — 100% CRANBERRY BLACKBERRY FLAVORED JUICE BLEND OF 4 JUICES FROM CONCENTRATE, CRANBERRY BLACKBERRY
Apple, Citric Acid, Cranberry, Grape
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — DROPS, ORANGE FLAVOR ENHANCER WITH ELECTROLYTES, ORANGE
Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40, Benzoic Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — ROOT BEER FLAVORED SYRUP, ROOT BEER
Corn, Fructose, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — STRAWBERRY & MINT HERBAL ICED TEA, STRAWBERRY & MINT
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Strawberry, Mint/Menthol
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — PINK BIG SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, PINK
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — CRISP & COOL GLACIER CHERRY THIRST QUENCHER, GLACIER CHERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — ZERO CALORIE COLA
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Unilever — MATCHA LATTE GREEN TEA CONCENTRATE, MATCHA LATTE
Cane Sugar, Tea, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. — FLAVORED JUICE BEVERAGE BLEND, SPARKLING CLEMENTINE
Apple, Grape, Orange, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — ROOT BEER SODA
Fructose, Corn, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DRINK, PEACH MANGO
Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #6, FD&C Red #40
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — CRANBERRY RELISH
Cranberry, Cane Sugar, Orange, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
WELCH'S — CONCORD GRAPE JAM, CONCORD GRAPE
Grape, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Minute Maid Company — LEMONADE LIGHT WITH BLACK TEA, LEMONADE
Lemon, Tea, Citric Acid, Aspartame
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE STRAWBERRY KIWI DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY KIWI
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, Corn
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — HAZELNUT LATTE ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED COFFEE DRINK CONCENTRATE, HAZELNUT
Cane Sugar, Coffee, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSICO, INC — GLACIER FREEZE LOWER SUGAR THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, GLACIER FREEZE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GELATIN DESSERT, SHELL-SHOCKIN' SOUR APPLE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
4 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — GOLD PEAK TEA, RASPBERRY TEA, RASPBERRY, RASPBERRY
Tea, Caffeine, Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
La Tortilla Factory Inc — HANDMADE STYLE SOFT & FLEXIBLE TORTILLAS, HANDMADE STYLE
Wheat, Corn, Canola/Rapeseed, Sunflower, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Frost Thirst Quencher Glacier Freeze (12 - 12 Fluid Ounce) 144 Fluid Ounce 12 Pack Plastic Bottles
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Citrus Cooler Thirst Quencher 32 Fluid Ounce Bottle.
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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