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.
7,950
Products Found
38.4%
Of All Products
210
Low Risk (0-2)
6,654
High Risk (5+)
Risk Distribution
How products containing Citric Acid break down by total trigger count:
210
2.6%
Low Risk (0-2 triggers)
1,086
13.7%
Moderate (3-4 triggers)
6,654
83.7%
High Risk (5+ triggers)
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 55 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
KRAFT HEINZ BEVERAGES & SNACK NUTS — FLAVORED SPARKLING DRINK, CHERRY
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Blue #1, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED DRINK, GRAPE
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMONADE FLAVORED LOW CALORIE DRINK MIX, LEMONADE
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, FD&C Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — WILD STRAWBERRY SUGAR FREE DRINK MIX, WILD STRAWBERRY
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Caffeine, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TROPICAL PUNCH ZERO CALORIE DRINK MIX, TROPICAL PUNCH
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Corn, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORIGINAL FALAFEL BITES, ORIGINAL
Wheat, Soybean, Onion, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — TROPICAL PASSIONFRUIT PROBIOTIC FRUIT SODA, TROPICAL PASSIONFRUIT
Apple, Pineapple, Grape, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — CAFFEINE FREE SODA, STRAWBERRY
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Benzoic Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE GRAPE DRINK MIX, GRAPE
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Corn, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BERRY BLUE GELATIN MIX, BERRY BLUE
Cane Sugar, Pork, Beef, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — CROSSE & BLACKWELL, TOMATO CHUTNEY WITH CRUSHED GARLIC
Cane Sugar, Tomato, Garlic, Onion, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY KIWI FLAVOR DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY KIWI
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Corn
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — DIET COKE WITH LIME FLAVOR, LIME
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Lime
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — STRAWBERRIES & CREAM ZERO CALORIE FLAVORED DIET COLA, STRAWBERRIES & CREAM
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — PARADISE MANGO COLA, PARADISE MANGO
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Mango
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — CHILI READY DICED TOMATOES, CHILI
Tomato, Citric Acid, Chili Pepper, Onion, Garlic
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Nuestro Lime Cucumber Thrist Quencher 28 Fluid Ounce Bottle.
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Frost Glacier Freeze Thrist Quencher 28 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Strawberry Watermelon Thirst Quencher 32 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cedar's Mediterranean Foods, Inc. — HOMMUS
Sesame, Sunflower, Olive, Citric Acid, Garlic
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
ALO — ALOE VERA + WATERMELON + PEACH JUICE DRINK, ALOE VERA + WATERMELON + PEACH
Cane Sugar, Peach, Watermelon, Citric Acid, Grape
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — CREME CURD, BANANA
Banana, Cane Sugar, Egg Yolk, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Chobani, Inc. — CHOBANI, SIMPLY 100, GREEK NON-FAT YOGURT, RED BERRY, RED BERRY
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Strawberry, Raspberry, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo, Inc. — BLUEBERRY SPARKLING FLAVORED JUICE BEVERAGE BLEND FROM CONCENTRATE, BLUEBERRY
Apple, Grape, Blueberry, Pineapple, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ICED TEA WITH LEMON FLAVOR LIQUID WATER ENHANCER, ICED TEA WITH LEMON
Citric Acid, Tea, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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