to wonder why citric acid is in bloody EVERYTHING!

[PyongyangKipperbang]

Particularly drinks!

DD3 has been diagnosed with an allergy to citrus, and it is proving almost impossible to find things that dont have citric acid (that actual allergen) in! Finally tracked down acid free passatta in Holland and Barratt but drinks are proving really hard.

Even things that you wouldnt think like ginger ale have it in as an acidity regulator. It can be done without so I must assume that it must be that CA is the cheapest option?

She is getting really fed up and frankly so am I, not least because what we can find is eyewateringly expensive, she is a student and I am a carer on a low PT income.

Acidity regulators are a safety measure to prevent bacterial growth. Most likely to be using citric acid in drinks because of flavour reasons.

Does a tomato have citric acid in?
Does water have citric acid in? Does milk have citric acid in?

This is just life with an allergy unfortunately. You just need to cook from scratch.

Home made passata is very easy.

Fry up some onions. Add garlic. Add herbs. Add a bunch of tomatoes. Cook down. Then you can choose to blend it or not.

Freeze and store.

Can’t you just make passata yourself ? It’s super easy.

Can she drink milk, water?

You can make your own fizzy drinks. Ginger and sugar plus fizzy water. There is a Delia Smith recipe for Pineapple Cooler which ferments so is naturally fizzy.

Passata is just tomatoes cooked down. Add a bit of sugar if they're too acid tasting.

Sorry in advance for questioning as you know dc allergy but Dc friend is allergic to citrus fruit but not citric acid. Something to do with them being different allergens his mum said.

According to google, tomatoes are citrus. What exactly is your dd allergic to @PyongyangKipperbang ?

The tins of mutti polpa don't have added citric acid.

Cold drinks are more difficult but has she tried herbal teas for a through the day drink? And plain water might be boring but at least it's free.

Jarritos drinks appear not to have it, they have potassium sorbate and phosphoric acid. Can sometimes find them in world food stores or online, they are expensive though.

Does a tomato have citric acid in?

It does, yes. Not a particularly high proportion, but it’s there.

Soda water. Chop up a lime. Put one or two slices in the sparking water. Freeze the rest of the lime. They are then like ice cubes too.

Aldi do sparkling water for 39p a bottle. A bag of limes is £1.29. They will go quite a long way.

It's better with sparkling water, but if you want to go cheaper, you can just use tap water. And you can substitute limes for oranges or grapefruit.

It is used to prevent botulism in canned/preserved goods.

Cooking from scratch is your best bet.

Limes are a citrus...

Surely if a tomato has citric acid in then the daughter can't have any kind of tomato based product then!?

Balls yes

You can do berries too.

Although some citric acid is made from corn these days. I only know that because I have a cows milk and sulphite allergy and citric acids from this source is heavily sulphited. Concentrated lemon juice is heavily sulphited.

OP I understand it's so fucking annoying. Mutti tinned tomatoes are currently on black Friday deal on Amazon so we have bought a couple of big trays to invest in. Do NOT get the plum tomatoes they do have it in (which is really annoying as we have about 10 tins bought on a previous offer).

Eating out is an absolute nightmare. Because it's not a reportable allergen so many places don't know. And it's in all sorts of things. In pizza bases, in pizza toppings, in some coconut milk, in some crisps, some biscuits, almost all sweets, most things made of pastry, many soft drinks not in Coca-Cola but in Diet coke and pepsi max, in stock cubes and things like gravy granules, most pre paid sauces, many chutneys, mayonnaise and most jams, 90% of ready meals, if like DS you have to avoid citric fruits as well then it's very limiting.
We also have a coeliac in the house and this is 100% more annoying.
DS gets very ill from it and it's difficult to spot. Sometimes it's used as a trace and isn't on the packet. It's not just passata thats the issue!

Citric acid is found in citrus fruit but most that is added to food is a man made version (derived from mold according to Google) and is generally considered safe for people with a citrus allergy.

Soda stream - with own flavouring?

https://www.bubbabubble.co/blogs/news/diy-sodastream-flavors-healthier-and-creative-alternatives - ignore Lemon one obviously.

https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/homemade-ginger-beer/

smoothies
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/smoothie-recipes

Tea/coffee/milk/milk - soda water though some have it in.

Knew few people with milk allergies and it's surprising how much has dried milk in that you wouldn't expect.

Medically speaking citric acid as a food preservative is not proven to provoke any immune response and therefore highly unlikely to have any adverse role in a citrus allergy.
Apart from that, the citric acid found in many common foodstuffs described by you is not actually derived from citrus, They manufacture it from various sugars such as molasses, or often mould (!) so I think it's a case of maybe researching your concerns a little more.
So yes, avoid citrus fruit, but actual citric acid Im not so sure.
What is your GP advice?

Citric acid isn't from citrus fruit though

Erm, about that lime 🤔

If she likes sparkling water, the peach and blackcurrant flavours of Dash water use different acids (malic and tartaric respectively).

buy frozen fruit - raspberries, blueberries, whatever is suitable with the allergens.

Handful of frozen fruit in a glass, add fizzy water. She'll start a trend.

Its in a lot of processed food/soft drinks but they are hardly essential.

Theres no citric acid in water, milk, teas.

It doesn't seem to be listed as an ingredient in supermarket apple juice.