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 65 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Pepsico Inc. — Dole 100% Juice Strawberry Kiwi Juice 59 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Apple, Pineapple, Grape, Strawberry, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — CRANBERRY STRAWBERRY KIWI FLAVOR JUICE BEVERAGE FROM CONCENTRATE, CRANBERRY STRAWBERRY KIWI
Cane Sugar, Beet, Cranberry, Strawberry, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
McCormick & Company, Inc. — MANGO & HABANERO FLAVORED FRUIT SPREAD, MANGO & HABANERO
Cane Sugar, Mango, Apple, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — WATERMELON FLAVORED ELECTROLYTE BEVERAGE, WATERMELON
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — VANILLA COLA, VANILLA
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSI SODA, 12 FL OZ, 12 COUNT
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
PEPSI WILD CHERRY SODA, 16.9 FL OZ, 6 COUNT
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — BOLD & INTENSE THIRST QUENCHER
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
La Victoria Foods Inc. — GREEN TACO SAUCE
Chili Pepper, Onion, Garlic, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — FRUIT PUNCH THIRST QUENCHER, FRUIT PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ROASTED GARLIC HUMMUS, ROASTED GARLIC
Garlic, Citric Acid, Sesame, Canola/Rapeseed, Soybean
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY WATERMELON DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY WATERMELON
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — PEACH MANGO FLAVORED JAMMERS DRINK, PEACH MANGO
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — STRAWBERRY PRESERVES, STRAWBERRY
Strawberry, Cane Sugar, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — DIET GREEN TEA, MIXED BERRY
Citric Acid, Tea, Caffeine, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — PEACH DIET ICED TEA, PEACH
Citric Acid, Tea, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ICE BLUE RASPBERRY LEMONADE DRINK MIX, ICE BLUE RASPBERRY LEMONADE
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, Blue #1, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LEMONADE NATURALLY SWEETENED DRINK MIX, LEMONADE
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, Turmeric
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MIXED BERRY DIET GREEN TEA, MIXED BERRY
Tea, Citric Acid, Aspartame, Blue #1, Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mott's LLP — MOTT'S FOR TOTS, JUICE BEVERAGE, FRUIT PUNCH, FRUIT PUNCH
Apple, Grape, Pear, Cherry, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — WILD CHERRY DIET COLA, WILD CHERRY
Aspartame, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Corn
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY LEMONADE, STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — CRANBERRY SPLASH LEMON-LIME WITH CRANBERRY FLAVOR SODA, CRANBERRY SPLASH
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — BLACK SWEET CHERRY SPREADABLE FRUIT
Cherry, Grape, Apple, Lemon, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — STRAWBERRY SPREADABLE FRUIT
Strawberry, Lemon, Grape, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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