In Europe celery is listed as a top 14 allergen which needs to be labelled in packaged food.

Celery is in the Apiaceae family of plants. Other plants in this family are aniseed, carrots, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, parsley and parsnips.

There are 6 allergens associated with celery allergy - the main allergen in celery is Api g 1 which is similar in shape to the Bet v 1 allergens which can cause oral allergy type symptoms.

Two of the proteins found in celery are Lipid Transfer Proteins, Api g 2 and 6.

Api g 4 is a profilin protein, these are panallergens and found in many fruits and vegetables.

A new allergen, Api g 7 , has been identified as a plant defensin protein. These are proteins used by the plants in defence against fungal infections.

Celery also contains chemicals called furanocoumarins, these can act as a contact allergen. When they come in contact with the skin it can become more sensitive to sunlight which can cause blistering. This is more common as an occupational allergy with people who pick, pack and process celery. This is known as phototoxicity. Additionally there have been case reports of ingestion of celery causing severe sunburn and blistering in rare cases.

Celeriac is the edible root of celery and is eaten in the same way as other root vegetables like potatoes and turnips.

Celery is a low FODMAP food. FODMAP stands for Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Foods high in FODMAPs can cause symptoms of food intolerance, affecting the gastro intestinal system and this can be mistaken for a true IgE food allergy.

Celery is a food high in salicylates. Salicylates have the potential to cause gastrointestinal food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

You can read more about Food Intolerances on the dedicated Food Intolerance Page.

You may have Pollen-Food Allergy Syndrome if you suffer from celery allergy with oral allergy symptoms to 3 or more of the foods mentioned in cross reactivity section.

The lipid transfer proteins in celery may cause problems if you suffer from LTP Syndrome.

Allergy to celery is commonly linked to Celery-Mugwort-Spice Syndrome as the sensitising allergen is a profilin protein called Art v 4, these proteins are also sometimes also called Bet v 2 proteins.

There is a link between celery and Latex Food Syndrome. The plant involved in latex allergy Hevea brasiliensis, the rubber tree plant, has an allergen called Hev b 8 which is a profilin protein. Those very sensitised to latex may have a contact allergic reaction from other foods or plants containing profilin proteins, there is less evidence of this than sensitisation to other latex linked proteins like hevein and chitinases.

If sensitised to birch pollen you may have Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome and may also react to apple, kiwi, pear, peach, plum, nectarine, apricots, cherries, tomato, celery, potato, parsnip, pepper, dill, cumin, peas, coriander, fennel, hazelnut, walnut, almonds, peanuts, lentils and beans.

If sensitised to alder pollen you may also react to apple, cherry, peach, pear, parsley, celery, almonds and hazelnuts.

Common foods involved in LTP allergy include kiwi, strawberries, sunflower seeds, walnut, apple, mulberry, banana, pea, apricot, cherry, plum, almond, peach pomegranate, raspberry, tomato, grape, celery, peanut, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, chestnut, lemon, tangerine, orange, hazelnut, lettuce, lentils, lupin, green bean, pear, mustard, wheat and maize.

Other foods containing plant profilins are kiwi, pineapple, celery, peanut, chilli, watermelon, orange, hazelnut, melon, strawberry, soya, barley, walnut, lychee, lupin, apple, banana, date, cherry, almond, peach, pear, mustard, tomato, aubergine and wheat.

Defensin proteins are found as food allergens in celery, peanuts, mango, sunflower seeds and horse chestnuts and as pollen allergens in soya, woodworm and mugwort.

You can download a Celery Allergy Factsheet from the Allergy Resources Ko-fi Shop for just $0.75 (£0.60 or €0.70). This has up to date information on which foods contain linked allergens and what foods to avoid if you think you have an allergy to celery. Note that these food lists are not exhaustive, the most up to date food lists are on the Cross Reactivity Tool page.

Let me know if you found any of these interesting or useful. If you spot an article or research that you think is interesting you can message me or tag me on Facebook or Twitter - links at the bottom of the page.