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 63 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TROPICAL PUNCH FLAVOR DRINK MIX, TROPICAL PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEACH RINGS CANDY
Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ORIGINAL BLUEBERRY GELATIN SNACKS, ORIGINAL BLUEBERRY
Cane Sugar, Beef, Pork, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — RASPBERRY LOW CALORIE GELATIN SNACKS, RASPBERRY
Citric Acid, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1, Corn
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — RASPBERRY ORIGINAL GELATIN SNACKS, RASPBERRY
Cane Sugar, Beef, Pork, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — GLOW PINEAPPLE AND MANGO JUICE WITH TURMERIC JUICE DRINK BLEND FROM CONCENTRATE, GLOW
Pineapple, Mango, Turmeric, Apple, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — HARVEST TOMATO SAUCE, HARVEST TOMATO
Tomato, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic, Chili Pepper
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Yoplait USA — STRAWBERRY FLAVORED SMOOTH STYLE ORIGINAL LOW FAT YOGURT, STRAWBERRY
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods, LLC — BANANA MANGO BERRY WITH REFRESHING KIWI BANANAS, MANGO, STRAWBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES AND KIWI CRAFTED SMOOTHIE BLENDS, BANANA MANGO BERRY WITH REFRESHING KIWI
Banana, Mango, Strawberry, Blueberry, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — CRANBERRY SPLASH LEMON-LIME & CRANBERRY FLAVORED SODA, CRANBERRY SPLASH
Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — THIRST QUENCHER, LEMON-LIME
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Royal Wholesale Grocery Inc. — MANGO JUICE DRINK
Mango, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — GOURMET POPPING CORN, MOVIE THEATER BUTTER
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid, Turmeric, Paprika
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE LEMON-LIME UNSWEETENED DRINK MIX, LEMON-LIME
Citric Acid, Corn, Lemon, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — ICED TEA, HONEY GINSENG
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea, Honey
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods-Snack Foods Group — ORIGINAL DELI STYLE SMOKED SNACK STICK, ORIGINAL
Beef, Pork, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — PERFECT PINEAPPLE BRULEE YOGURT ALTERNATIVE, PERFECT PINEAPPLE BRULEE
Cane Sugar, Pineapple, Coconut, Corn, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Califia Farms, LP — XX ESPRESSO ALMOND LATTE 100% ARABICA COFFEE WITH ALMONDMILK, XX ESPRESSO
Coffee, Almond, Cane Sugar, Sunflower, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — STRAWBERRY FRUIT SPREAD, STRAWBERRY
Strawberry, Corn, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — STRAWBERRY LEMON FLAVORED HYDRATION WITH ELECTROLYTES, STRAWBERRY LEMON
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
WELCH'S — WELCH'S 10 FL OZ JUICE DRINK - ORANGE PINEAPPLE
Fructose, Corn, Orange, Pineapple, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Frost Rain Berry Thirst Quencher 64 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Hillshire Brands Company — PEPPERONI
Pork, Beef, Paprika, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — ORANGE MARMALADE REDUCED SUGAR MARMALADE, ORANGE
Orange, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Tropicana Trop50 Pomegranate Blueberry 12 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle Single
Orange, Apple, Grape, Blueberry, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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