Three University of Guelph food price experts spoke to several news outlets about the rising cost of celery, which appears to have become the latest health food fad.

Canadian Press wrote an article on the issue, which appeared in several publications, including CTVNews.ca, The Financial Post and MSN News. CBC’s Marketplace also reported on the rising prices; that story appears on the program’s website.

The National Post also reported on the problem. U of G food analyst Dana McCauley and Prof. Simon Somogyi, the Arrell Chair in the Business of Food, said the typical price for a bunch of celery has risen from around $1.99 to as high as $5.99.

Mike von Massow, a food market expert and professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, told CP that weather conditions in California are pushing prices up.

He also told CBC that while a trend toward drinking celery juice for possible health benefits may be affecting the price spike, other factors include local climate and growing conditions, transportation and stricter border controls.

“I wouldn’t say celery is a staple vegetable for most people,” he said. “So if you have a narrow market to start with, that can drive price changes, because it’s much harder for that supply to respond.”