Why Does THIS Have Citric Acid in It?

Hello all,

As many of you well know, I have a fairly simplified diet (as opposed to using the word “restrictive”). I don’t eat gluten, dairy, eggs, or refined sugar. I stay away from processed food almost exclusively, and food dyes and certain preservatives give me fits. Citric acid is one such preservative that I am very sensitive to and avoid at all costs.

Citric acid, though naturally occurring in citrus fruit, is made commercially as a by-product of growing black mold. Besides the grossness aspect of this, I’m quite allergic to mold, and whenever I eat something containing citric acid, I get a mild form of anaphylactic shock within minutes. Citric acid is generally found in canned tomato sauce and fruit syrups/jellies (although I don’t know why since I’ve canned, and those are some of the more acidic foods that don’t require extra acid).

What’s completely weird is that I was reading the ingredients on a jar of chocolate frosting yesterday, and one of the ingredients was, you guessed it, citric acid. Why the heck is citric acid in chocolate frosting!?! I have no idea. The frosting is for my husband anyway, but still!