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 93 of 318
| Product | Triggers | LEAP Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
Conagra Brands — Act Ii Movie Theater Popcorn, 2.75 Oz
Corn, Cow's Milk, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kill Cliff, Llc — Lemon Lime Performance Endurance Blend Drink, Lemon Lime
Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
General Mills Sales Inc. — Yoplait Fruitside Peach Yogurt
Cow's Milk, Peach, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Yogurt
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Brisk Iced Tea Lemon 12 Fluid Ounce Aluminum Can
Fructose, Corn, Citric Acid, Tea, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Pepsico — Pepsi Next 20 Oz Pl Bot
Fructose, Corn, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Dannon Company, Inc. — Dannon, Oikos, Greek Nonfat Yogurt, Peach
Cow's Milk, Yogurt, Peach, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Corn, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Barilla G & R F.lli S.p.a. — Barilla, All Natural Sauce, Tuscan Herb
Tomato, Citric Acid, Cane Sugar, Garlic, Onion, Olive, Oregano, Celery
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Dole Packaged Foods Company — Pineapple in Strawberry Gel
Pineapple, Carrageenan, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mediterranean Sensations — Rice Pilaf
Rice, Onion, Citric Acid, Lemon, Garlic, Mustard, Turmeric, Parsley, Thyme, Bay Leaf
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Kraft Heinz Foods Company — DRINK MIX, STRAWBERRY LEMONADE
Citric Acid, Corn, Aspartame, Lecithin (Soy), Soybean, FD&C Red #40
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good Humor-breyers Ice Cream — Popsicle, Big Stick, Ice Pops, Cherry Pineapple, Artificially Flavored
Corn, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Pineapple, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Del Monte Foods Inc. — S & W, Crushed Tomatoes with Oregano & Basil in Rich Puree
Tomato, Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Black Pepper, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Cia. Topo Chico, S.a. — Flavored Soda
Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
The Quaker Oats Co./gatorade-van Camp — Cool Blue Thirst Quencher, Cool Blue
Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid, Glycerin/Glycerol, Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Philadelphia Handi-snacks Cream Cheese-snack Light
Cow's Milk, Carrageenan, Citric Acid, Wheat, Coconut, Barley, Malt, Yeast (Baker's)
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Good Humor-breyers Ice Cream — Popsicle, Tropical Paradise, Ice Pop, Mango, Naturally and Artificially Flavored
Corn, Fructose, Cane Sugar, Citric Acid, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Yellow #6
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Lipton — I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, 79% Vegetable Oil Spread, Original
Soybean, Canola/Rapeseed, Whey, Cow's Milk, Lecithin (Soy), Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. — Cranberry Pomegranate Juice Drink
Cranberry, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 2 — Reintroduction |
|
Bj's Wholesale Club / Corporate Brands — Wellsley Farms, Soda, Grape
Corn, Fructose, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Blue #1
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Hormel Foods Corporation — Pork Sausage
Pork, Chili Pepper, Cane Sugar, Corn, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Sara Lee Foods — Hillshire Farm, Summer Sausage
Pork, Beef, Citric Acid, Mustard
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Whole Foods Market, Inc. — Oven-roasted Tomatoes with Crushed Red Pepper
Tomato, Sunflower, Chili Pepper, Citric Acid, Capsaicin
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mars, Inc. — CHERRY CASHEW PLANT BASED CREAMY FROZEN DESSERT, CHERRY CASHEW
Cashew, Cherry, Cane Sugar, Coconut, Tapioca, Citric Acid
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Red Bull North America, Inc. — Total Zero Energy Drink
Citric Acid, Caffeine
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
|
Mccormick — Beef Steak Bites
Beef, Cane Sugar, Corn, Soybean, Citric Acid, Paprika
|
6 | Phase 3 — Practitioner Guided |
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