The Belgian food safety authority has recommended not eating Christmas trees. The surprising advice comes in response to a campaign by the city of Ghent, which encouraged its residents to eat Christmas tree needles.
The statement was issued by the Belgian Federal Food Safety Agency (FASFC) on Tuesday. She recommended not to eat Christmas trees. “Christmas trees should not enter the food chain,” emphasized the institution's spokeswoman, Hélène Bonte.
The office's position is a response to the previously issued recommendations of the city of Ghent in the north-west Belgium. Last Thursday, it launched a campaign in which it encouraged recycling and shared advice on, among others: what to do with leftover food left after the holidays, but also with Christmas trees.
Ghent encouraged people to eat needles
“Eat your Christmas tree. Really! Scandinavians have been doing this for a long time: collect the needles from the branches, briefly dip them in boiling water, pour them through a sieve and dry them on a clean cloth. Once they are dry, you can use them to make delicious spruce butter for bread or toast” – written on the city's official website. It was added that “a Christmas tree is edible unless it is a yew and has not been treated with a fire-retardant spray.”
FASFC reacted strongly to this idea. The agency stressed that most Christmas trees for sale during the holiday season are treated with chemicals to preserve their appearance and protect them from pests. Therefore, their consumption is dangerous for humans. “Therefore, FASFC cannot agree to such initiatives,” said Hélène Bonte about the idea of the Ghent authorities. “There is no way to be sure that eating a Christmas tree is safe for both humans and animals.” She pointed out that there is a difference between commercially grown Christmas trees and the naturally grown trees that are traditionally used in some Scandinavian recipes.
The controversy prompted Ghent to change the words “eat your Christmas tree” to “Scandinavians eat Christmas trees.” The revised publication emphasized that “not all Christmas trees are edible” and added that the Food Safety Authority “advises against eating needles from Christmas trees grown” in Belgium.
Guardian, Politico, New York Times, tvn24.pl
Main photo source: Shutterstock