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 73 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. — FRUIT MIX IN LIGHT SYRUP, FRUIT MIX
Peach, Pear, Cane Sugar, Grape, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Fruit Punch Thrist Quencher 28 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Glycerin/Glycerol
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Lemon Lime Thirst Quencher 28 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Orange Thirst Quencher (4 - 12 Fluid Ounce) 48 Fluid Ounce 4 Pack Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Orange Thirst Quencher 28 Fluid Ounce Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Yellow #6
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Cheetos Simply White Cheddar Puffs 1 Ounce
Corn, Sunflower, Cow's Milk, Whey, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsi-Cola North America Inc. — GINGERBREAD SNAP'D SODA WITH A BLAST OF GINGERBREAD, GINGERBREAD SNAP'D
Fructose, Corn, Benzoic Acid, Caffeine, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mondelez International, Inc. — BLACK RASPBERRY COAL SOFT & CHEWY CANDY, BLACK RASPBERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Red Bull North America, Inc. — THE GREEN EDITION KIWI APPLE ENERGY DRINK, KIWI APPLE
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Caffeine, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — FRUIT PUNCH DRINK MIX, FRUIT PUNCH
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DRINK, SLAMMIN' STRAWBERRY KIWI
Cane Sugar, Pear, Strawberry, Apple, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — KIWI PINEAPPLE FLAVORED SPORTS DRINK, KIWI PINEAPPLE
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DECAF LEMON ICED TEA DRINK MIX, DECAF LEMON ICED TEA
Citric Acid, Corn, Tea, Aspartame, FD&C Yellow #5
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
La Victoria Foods Inc. — GREEN ENCHILADA SAUCE, GREEN ENCHILADA
Chili Pepper, Corn, Onion, Garlic, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Conagra Brands, Inc. — ULTIMATE BUTTER POP UP BOWL GOURMET POPPING CORN, ULTIMATE BUTTER
Corn, Cow's Milk, Turmeric, Paprika, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
BLUE BERRY FLAVORED COLA SODA
Fructose, Corn, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-Van Camp — WATERMELON STRAWBERRY ELECTROLYTE BEVERAGE, WATERMELON STRAWBERRY
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, FD&C Red #40
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico Inc. — Gatorade Fierce Blue Cherry Thirst Quencher (12 - 12 Fluid Ounce) 144 Fluid Ounce 12 Pack Plastic Bottle
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Milo's Whole World Gourmet, LLC — MICHIGAN APPLE PREMIUM PIE FILLING & TOPPING, MICHIGAN APPLE
Apple, Cane Sugar, Corn, Cinnamon, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The J.M. Smucker Company — SEEDLESS BLACK RASPBERRY BLACKBERRY JAM, BLACK RASPBERRY BLACKBERRY
Raspberry, Cane Sugar, Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — SUMMERTIME LIME TEA, SUMMERTIME LIME
Tea, Caffeine, Cane Sugar, Fructose, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — CAFFEINE FREE STRAWBERRY DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Coca-Cola USA Operations — DIET TEA
Tea, Caffeine, Citric Acid, Aspartame, Benzoic Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — GRAPE SOFT DRINK, GRAPE
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, FD&C Red #40, Blue #1
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — MILD ITALIAN DRESSING & RECIPE MIX, MILD ITALIAN
Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Corn, Citric Acid
|
5 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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