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 58 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
The Kellogg Company — STRAWBERRY WHOLE GRAIN CEREAL, STRAWBERRY
Wheat, Cane Sugar, Rice, Paprika, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — ORGANIC DELUXE SHELLS AND CHEDDAR DINNER
Wheat, Cow's Milk, Soybean, Whey, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — BUNNY PASTA WITH YUMMY CHEESE MACARONI & CHEESE
Wheat, Whey, Cow's Milk, Corn, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — STRAWBERRY JAM, STRAWBERRY
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — SMOOTH FINISH THIRST QUENCHER, TIDAL PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1, Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — FRUIT PUNCH FLAVOR THIRST QUENCHER CONCENTRATE PODS, FRUIT PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — LEMON COLA, LEMON
Caffeine, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Corn, Fructose
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
General Mills, Inc. — ANNIE'S, ARTHUR, MACARONI & CHEESE
Wheat, Whey, Cow's Milk, Corn, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Chobani, Inc. — STRAWBERRY COCONUT NON-DAIRY DRINK, STRAWBERRY
Coconut, Cane Sugar, Strawberry, Tapioca, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORANGE SOFT DRINK, ORANGE
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — MANGO THIRST QUENCHER, MANGO
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mott's LLP — SPARKLING CITRUS BEVERAGE
Apple, Grape, Orange, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PepsiCo Inc. Brand Owner — Quaker Instant Oatmeal Apples & Cranberries 1.79 Oz
Oat, Cane Sugar, Cranberry, Apple, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Nabisco Food Company — UNSALTED 65% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD, UNSALTED
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Whey, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Napoleon Co. — POTATO GNOCCHI
Potato, Wheat, Rice, Sodium Metabisulfite, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — CITRUS DIET GREEN TEA, CITRUS
Tea, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — BLUE RASPBERRY, LEMONADE SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, BLUE RASPBERRY, LEMONADE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Blue #1, Fructose
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — LOWFAT YOGURT
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
WILD CHERRY SODA
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
STRAWBERRY FILLED CANDY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Strawberry, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — THIRST QUENCHER, COOL BLUE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — PASTA SAUCE, GARLIC & HERB
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Yoplait USA — STRAWBERRY FLAVORED 25G PROTEIN DAIRY SNACKS, STRAWBERRY
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Corn, Citric Acid, Whey
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — ZERO CALORIES WATER BEVERAGES MIX WITH VITAMINS, KIWI STRAWBERRY
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1, Corn
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — TERIYAKI BEEF JERKY, TERIYAKI
Beef, Cane Sugar, Wheat, Soybean, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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