Who invented the alkaline food chart?

There is no singular alkaline food chart, as the alkaline diet is not a recognized FDA treatment or system. However, some of the charts promoted online are based on the 1995 study by Remer and Manz titled, "Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH."

Most sources for alkaline food charts make slight amendments to the overall structure of the chart, emphasising certain foods according to their authors' preferences. The theory behind alkaline food charts is closely related to the work of William Howard Hay, who identified acid and alkali forming food groups in the 1920s, though his system did not reference the pH of foods in the same way that modern systems do.