As holiday meals wind down, Belgium’s food agency has issued an unexpected warning: don’t eat your Christmas tree. The message came after the city of Ghent, known for its environmental focus, posted tips suggesting recycling conifer trees into dishes.
In a seasonal guide, the city’s website pointed to Scandinavian traditions where pine needles are stripped, blanched, and dried for use in making flavored butter, among other recipes.
However, the Belgian food safety agency, AFSCA, swiftly responded with a firm “No.” “Christmas trees are not destined to enter the food chain,” the agency stated, citing concerns over the presence of pesticides on most holiday trees and the potential danger of flame retardants, which are often applied to prevent fires. These chemicals could pose serious risks to both humans and animals.
The agency urged that there are too many uncertainties regarding the safety of consuming Christmas trees and discouraged any promotion of such practices.
Following the backlash, the city of Ghent updated its post, changing the headline from “Eat your Christmas tree” to “Scandinavians eat their Christmas trees.”
