Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate

Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate carries a safety score of 3/5 and appears in 55 indexed US food products.

Safety score 60.0%

3/5 from FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine

How common is vs other flagged additives?

Number of indexed products containing each of the most common flagged additives — Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate highlighted.

Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Caramel Coloring22612Red 4021595Yellow 518987Carrageenan17853Blue 116643Yellow 613560Sucralose10490Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate55
Indexed products containing each flagged additive. Source: Open Food Facts ingredient lists × FDA SAFFA × CSPI Chemical Cuisine.
Safety Score
3/5

Safety Assessment

Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate has a moderate safety profile (3/5). While approved for use, some studies or consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about certain aspects of this ingredient. Consumers who prefer caution may wish to limit intake.

What the Data Says About

Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate currently appears in 55 products across the OpenFoodFacts catalog we index, which gives a concrete measure of its footprint on US grocery shelves. Our internal safety score of 3/5 synthesizes FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Chemical Cuisine classification. These two frameworks capture different questions: regulators ask whether exposure at typical intake is acceptable, while consumer-advocacy groups examine cumulative dietary load and vulnerable-population risk.

Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate serves one or more technical functions in food manufacturing — stabilization, flavor, preservation, or structural role — which explains its presence across multiple product categories in our database. Inspection and outbreak records frequently trace back to control failures around functional additives, whether through batch contamination, undisclosed substitutions, or labeling mismatches that trigger recall classifications by the FDA.

No specific concern flags are attached to Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate in our current data snapshot beyond the regulatory and CSPI classifications above. That does not rule out individual sensitivity reactions, and anyone managing allergies, elimination diets, or chronic conditions should verify with a qualified healthcare professional before relying on population-level ratings.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Regulatory and safety classifications for Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate
Source Classification Year
FDA SAFFA Not listed 2024
CSPI Chemical Cuisine Not rated 2024
PlainFoodSafe Score 3/5 2026
Product footprint 55 products OpenFoodFacts

FDA SAFFA database, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings, OpenFoodFacts product index. See methodology.

Products Containing

Showing 50 of 55 products

Aji Panca Especial Panca Pepper Paste
Peruvian Import Company
100/100
Assorted Sugar Free Chocolate Candy
Russell Stover
50/100
Authentic chicago style deep dish pizza
Reggio's Pizza Inc.
100/100
Big pineapple, soda, pineapple
Unknown
50/100
Black cherry darkest hour soda
Unknown
95/100
Blue food color
Unknown
75/100
Blue food color
Unknown
75/100
Chacalines salted cooked shrimp
Unknown
50/100
Chicken breast cobb salad with bacon
Unknown
95/100
Crunchy pecans & chewy caramel chocolate candy
Unknown
50/100
Dangerous Ginger Beer
Alna Inc.
100/100
Dark chocolate mix
Unknown
50/100
Delifruit, orange slices in heavy syrup
Delifruit
100/100
Deluxe petite cake german chocolate, german chocolate
Schnucks, Schnuck Markets Inc.
60/100
Deviled egg salad on multigrain sandwiches
Unknown
95/100
Dominion, Ginger Ale Made With Pure Cane Sugar
Old Dominion Brewing Co.
95/100
Double strength red food color
Unknown
75/100
Double Strength Red Food Color
First Street
75/100
Dulceria rodriguez, cashew with milk
Dulceria Rodriguez
100/100
Egg salad on wheat wedge
Unknown
100/100
Egg salad on white wedge
Unknown
85/100
Finishing Butter
Wegmans
100/100
Food color
Unknown
75/100
Foods tropiccoco soda
Goya Foods Inc.
95/100
Fruit drink concentrate
Walls Berry Farm Inc
100/100
Gourmet Deviled Eggs
Almark Foods
100/100
Green food color
Unknown
100/100
Green food color
Unknown
100/100
Greys Root Beer
Gray Brewing Co.
95/100
Handcrafted with chef salad
Unknown
85/100
Imitation Vanilla Extract
Hyvee
95/100
Kola Champagne Soda
Good-O-Beverages Inc
95/100
Lanettone with chocolate flavored chips, chocolate
Unknown
100/100
Lemon yellow food color
Unknown
75/100
Lunds & byerlys, our bakery cupcake, maple bacon
Unknown
95/100
Meringue pie
Unknown
75/100
Old fashioned potato salad, old fashioned
Unknown
70/100
Orlando, chopped garlic in water
Orlando
100/100
Peach whip egg candy
Unknown
75/100
Philippine Brand, Mango Puree
Profood Int'L. Corp.
100/100
Red bliss potato salad
Unknown
70/100
Red food color
Unknown
75/100
Red food color
Unknown
75/100
Red food color
Unknown
75/100
Reggio's, Turkey Sausage Pizza
Reggio's Pizza Inc.
100/100
Reser's, Dessert, Strawberries & Cream
Reser's Fine Foods Inc.
75/100
Roundy's supermarkets, inc, creme cake, pistachio almonds
Roundy's, Roundy's Supermarkets Inc
25/100
Roundy's, creme cake, coconut sour cream
Roundy's
70/100
Sarsaparilla
Unknown
95/100
Stingin' honey garlic sauce
Frank's
100/100

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate safe to eat?

Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate has a safety score of 3/5. Always check with a healthcare provider if you have specific dietary concerns.

What products contain Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate?

Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate is found in 55 products in our database, spanning various food categories and brands.

What does Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate do in food?

Citric Acid And Sodium Benzoate serves various technical functions in food manufacturing and processing.

Where does this ingredient safety data come from?

Safety data comes from the FDA's SAFFA (Substances Added to Food) database, CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) ratings, and the OpenFoodFacts product database. Product counts reflect items cataloged in OpenFoodFacts.