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 71 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Fierce Fruit Punch Berry Thirst Quencher 32 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Lemon-Lime Thirst Quencher 32 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — ORANGE PASSION FRUIT CAFFEINE HYDRATION WITH ELECTROLYTES, ORANGE PASSION FRUIT
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Caffeine, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
WELCH'S — LOW CALORIE DRINK MIX
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
MANGO SODA
Corn, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Lipton — 79% VEGETABLE OIL SPREAD
Soybean, Lecithin (Soy), Whey, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Clif Bar and Company — BLOKS ENERGY CHEWS
Tapioca, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Sunflower
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — LIME CUCUMBER THIRST QUENCHER, LIME CUCUMBER
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Unilever — TAZO, TEA & JUICE BLEND BEVERAGE, BLACK TEA MANGO, BLACK TEA MANGO
Tea, Cane Sugar, Apple, Mango, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — TROPICAL PUNCH DRINK, TROPICAL PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SODA, STRAWBERRY
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Benzoic Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE SNAPPIN' GREEN APPLE SOUR DRINK MIX, SNAPPIN' GREEN APPLE
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — LITE SYRUP, LITE
Corn, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange 20 Fluid Ounce Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — TOMATO SAUCE, TOMATO
Tomato, Citric Acid, Onion, Garlic, Chili Pepper
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — BLUE CHERRY THIRST QUENCHER, BLUE CHERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Foods-Snack Foods Group — BUTTERY FLAVORED ALL-IN-ONE POPCORN KIT, BUTTERY
Corn, Coconut, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
HIBISCUS ACUAS FRESCAS JUICE BEVERAGE
Fructose, Corn, Grape, Apple, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — ORANGE THIRST QUENCHER POWDER, ORANGE
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cadia — BLOOD ORANGE ITALIAN GELATO, BLOOD ORANGE
Orange, Cane Sugar, Coconut, Citric Acid, Carob
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — GOURMET POPPING CORN, ULTIMATE BUTTER
Corn, Cow's Milk, Turmeric, Paprika, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — BARQ'S, ROOT BEER SODA
Fructose, Corn, Benzoic Acid, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — ROCK-A-DILE RED RETRO JAMMERS FLAVORED DRINK, ROCK-A-DILE RED
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Kellogg Company — STRAWBERRY BANANA LAYERED FRUIT BARS, STRAWBERRY BANANA
Apple, Strawberry, Banana, Citric Acid, Lemon
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Thirst Quencher Fruit Punch (4 - 20 Fluid Ounce) 80 Fluid Ounce 4 Pack Plastic Bottles
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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