What you need to know about celery allergy: From soup to sausage

If you are allergic to celery, don’t think that it is safe as long as you don’t eat vegetables such as cold celery and celery stir-fried meat that can see the shape of celery. According to the "Accidental Exposure Report for People with Food Allergies" released by the Chinese Society of Allergy in 2023, 92% of accidental allergy events for people with celery allergies come from processed foods where the celery itself cannot be seen at all, and the probability of being infected is 4.7 times that of accidentally eating fresh celery.

When I helped a friend in the allergy department sort out the cases in the first half of the year, I met a girl who made a particularly deep impression: I went to a Western restaurant with my best friend on the weekend and ordered the signature mushroom soup and black truffle pasta. Within half an hour of eating, my arms were covered with wheals and I couldn't breathe. After being sent to the hospital for a checkup, she was confused: Am I not allergic to mushrooms, wheat, or milk? Finally, when the store sent the ingredient list of the meal, they discovered that both the base of the soup and the meat sauce of the pasta were added with chopped celery to enhance the freshness, and were cooked until they were completely soft. You couldn't taste it when you ate it, and you couldn't even tell it with the naked eye.

Celery is like an invisible guest in processed foods without a number tag. It is clearly in the formula and ordinary consumers are not aware of it. In the European Union's mandatory labeling list of food allergens, celery (including roots, stems, leaves, seeds and even extracts) is among the top ten allergens that must be clearly labeled. However, in China, celery has not yet been included in the allergen range of mandatory labeling of prepackaged foods. Many merchants will only vaguely classify "celery" into "spice" and "vegetable powder", unintentionally digging a hole for people with allergies.

You may not think that even eating a sausage can lead to pitfalls.

Many German sausages, garlic sausages, and even the air-dried sausages stuffed at home, add celery seed powder or chopped celery when making the stuffing to remove the fishy smell and relieve greasiness. They are mixed with the aroma of meat and spices, and the unique taste of celery cannot be tasted at all. Not long ago, a young man went to the emergency room because he ate homemade sausage. His parents repeatedly said that they knew he was allergic to celery, so they never added fresh celery. Finally, they dug out the ready-made sausage seasoning package they bought and saw that there was celery seed powder in the ingredient list. The old man was looking at the expiration date and did not notice the small print.

There are more corners that you don’t usually pay attention to: the freeze-dried soup cubes sold in supermarkets are the kind of fresh vegetable soup, and celery powder is basically added to enhance the freshness.； The green sauce in light food restaurants, borscht in Western restaurants, and even the bone soup base prepared in many Chinese restaurants are all used to add two handfuls of celery to enhance the flavor, and cook it until it melts into the soup, and no one can drink it. ； Even some salad dressings and barbecue sauces will add a small amount of celery powder to enrich the taste. The ingredient list will only say "compound spices" and will not be marked separately at all.

Currently, there are actually two different ideas in the industry regarding how to deal with celery allergy.

One is the "complete avoidance" supported by most allergists: as long as the ingredient list does not clearly state that it does not contain celery, or it is marked as "spice extract" or "complex vegetable powder" without specifying the specific ingredients, do not touch it. When dining out, you should also repeatedly confirm with the merchant whether celery-based seasonings are added. After all, severe celery allergy may cause laryngeal edema and anaphylactic shock. There are indeed fatal cases. I would rather ask more questions than risk my body.

The other is the "threshold management school" that has been slowly proposed by the nutrition community in recent years: if it is only a mild allergy (for example, only a local rash, no respiratory or digestive tract symptoms), you can slowly be exposed to celery ingredients in small doses under the guidance of a doctor, and gradually build up tolerance, so you don't need to be so cautious in the future. However, this method must not be tried at home. Everyone's allergy threshold is different. If the amount is not controlled well, it may be dangerous.

Friends with allergies around me have two ideas: the boy who was admitted to the ICU because of celery allergy now rarely orders takeout. He chooses all the ingredients himself and does not buy anything with vague spices on the ingredient list.； The girl who only got a red rash on her arms after eating celery just tasted half a piece of soda crackers with a very small amount of celery seed powder under the guidance of her doctor last month, and she has no problem so far.

In fact, there is no absolutely right way to do it. After all, only you know your body best. I just want to remind friends who are allergic to celery. Next time, don't just ask "Is there celery in the dish?" and add "Is there minced celery or celery powder as seasoning?" When buying processed food, ask customer service for specific allergen tips. Spending ten seconds more is better than a trip to the hospital.