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 72 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Pepsico Inc. — GATORADE G2 RASPBERRY MELON 20Z
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Orange Thirst Quencher Powder 21 Ounce Plastic Pouch
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — MARGARITA CITRUS NON-ALCOHOLIC MIX, MARGARITA
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — SOFT & CHEWY HEARTS CANDY
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
CAMPBELL SOUP COMPANY — V8 BEVERAGE ORANGE CARROT
Carrot, Sweet Potato, Orange, Grape, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — STEWED TOMATOES
Tomato, Cane Sugar, Onion, Celery, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Banza LLC — SHELLS + WHITE CHEDDAR MAC & CHEESE CHICKPEA PASTA
Tapioca, Green Pea, Cow's Milk, Whey, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — LOW FAT YOGURT, ORIGINAL VANILLA
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — FAT FREE SOUR CREAM
Cow's Milk, Corn, Whey, Citric Acid, Carrageenan
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — JUICE COCKTAIL FROM CONCENTRATE SYRUP, CRANBERRY APPLE
Corn, Fructose, Cranberry, Apple, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CRYSTAL LIGHT, DRINK MIX, FRUIT PUNCH, FRUIT PUNCH
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — STRAWBERRY FLAVORED JUICE DRINK BLEND FROM CONCENTRATE, STRAWBERRY
Apple, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Grape, Strawberry
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — KOOL-AID, DRINK, TROP. PUNCH ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED, TROP. PUNCH ARTIFICIALLY FLAVORED
Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — LIPTON, ICED TEA, PEACH, PEACH
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea, Benzoic Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — CITRUS GREEN TEA
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea, Honey
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — DIET 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, FRUIT PUNCH + BERRY THIRST QUENCHER
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DRINK MIX, RASPBERRY ICE
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — COUSCOUS RICHLY FLAVORED WITH PARMESAN, ROMANO, BLUE AND CHEDDAR CHEESES
Wheat, Cow's Milk, Whey, Yeast (Baker's), Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — PREMIUM HAM GLAZE, WITH MONTMORENCY CHERRIES
Corn, Fructose, Cherry, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — TROPICAL PUNCH THIRST QUENCHER, TROPICAL PUNCH
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GOOD SEASONS, BALSAMIC DRESSING & RECIPE MIX
Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Grape, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Hershey Company — LITE SYRUP, LITE
Cocoa, Glycerin/Glycerol, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Carrageenan
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — BLUE RASPBERRY CELATIN DESSERT, BLUE RASPBERRY
Cane Sugar, Beef, Pork, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
CLIF — TROPICAL PUNCH ENERGY CHEWS, TROPICAL PUNCH
Tapioca, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Carrot, Sunflower
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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