Allergen 1 of 14 · Ce

Celery: the allergen in the stock pot

Celery is rarely the star of a dish, which is exactly why it gets missed. Most of it arrives through stock, gravy, soup bases and spice blends, and celeriac counts too.

Checked against the official guidance on 18 September 2026

What the law covers

Annex II lists “celery and products thereof”. That covers the stalks, the leaves, the seeds and celeriac (the root), whatever form they take: celery salt, celery seed in a spice mix, celery powder in a stock cube.

Where it hides in a UK kitchen

In the free matrix builder, typing any of these ticks celery automatically: Celery, Bloody Mary. These prompt a label check instead, because it depends on the recipe or the brand: Stuffing, Curry powder, Stock, Gravy, Steak and ale pie, Shepherd's pie, Sunday roast, Lasagne, Spaghetti bolognese, Chicken tikka masala, Katsu curry, Paella.

Cross-contact to think about

• One stock pot feeding several dishes: every dish made from it carries the celery.
• Mirepoix chopped on the board then used for a “celery-free” dish.
• Seasoning shakers shared across the pass.

Where your risk assessment finds a risk you cannot control, mark the dish “may contain” on the matrix. Don't use it as a blanket statement: when “may contain” is justified.

On a PPDS label

A compound ingredient has to show what is in it when it brings an allergen: the stock's own ingredient list goes in brackets.

Make a PPDS label with allergens emphasised automatically →

Mistakes we see on matrices

• Treating “vegetable stock” as allergen-free.
• Forgetting celeriac: a celeriac remoulade or purée is celery on the matrix.
• Changing stock cube brand without re-checking the label.

Not on the list

Carrot, onion, parsley and fennel are not on the list, even though they are relatives of celery in the plant family.