A fad diet promoting the healing properties of celery and bad weather in important growing regions have caused a spike in prices for the vegetable. According to Statistics Canada, in April 2018, customers could expect to pay $3.00 for a kilogram of celery. Fresh vegetables, including celery, have been seeing big price increases lately. StatsCan says Shoppers paid 15.5 per cent more for fresh vegetables in March 2019 than they did the previous March. Mike von Massow, an associate professor at the University of Guelph, says the Oxnard, Calif., and Yuma, Ariz., regions produce a significant proportion of the celery Canada imports. Celery is a small-volume crop with production only in a few places, meaning it's more susceptible to production issues impacting supply. Compounding the weather issue is a recent rise in demand that seems to be coming from a number of social media personalities promoting the health benefits of celery juice. Self-proclaimed medical medium Anthony William claims that drinking celery juice daily can clear skin, reduce bloating and aid weight loss, as well as heal people of different illnesses. Von Massow stresses there is no science to suggest celery is a superfood.