Belgium’s Federal Food Agency (FASFC) has warned the public that eating Christmas trees can have tragic consequences. All this after Ghent city authorities encouraged this method of removing Christmas trees as part of an eco-friendly initiative.
“Christmas trees are not meant to be added to the food chain,” FASFC spokeswoman Helen Bonte said Tuesday.
The agency says most decorative Christmas trees are heavily treated with pesticides and other chemicals to maintain their beauty and protect them from pests. Therefore, such trees are dangerous and should not be eaten.
Belgium. Ghent city authorities encouraged people to eat their Christmas tree
Bonte explained that Christmas trees are often subjected to intensive chemical treatments to avoid problems with furries, which are small sap-sucking insects.
“For this reason alone, FASFC cannot consent to such an initiative,” she added, referring to the action organized by the Ghent authorities.
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Last Thursday, this famous Belgian town launched a campaign promoting several ways to recycle Christmas trees after Christmas. One of the suggestions was to make a pine needle soup inspired by a traditional Scandinavian recipe.
“Your Christmas tree is edible, as long as it is not a yew tree and has not been treated with flame retardant spray,” Ghent Climate Change City wrote in a social media post after receiving a wave of criticism.
The Belgian Federal Food Agency warns. Talk about “fatal consequences”
According to FASFC, it is not easy for consumers to determine whether a Christmas tree has been treated with flame retardants, making cooking with parts of the tree extremely dangerous.
“Eating yew, a member of the Pinaceae family, can have serious and even fatal consequences,” Bonte warned.
The spokesperson also emphasized that there is a difference between commercially grown Christmas trees and the naturally grown pine trees used in Scandinavian recipes.
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– The pristine pine needles of the north are completely different from the leaves of trees grown for Christmas – she pointed out.
And thanks to a cartoonist nicknamed Lectrr, the case has regained a slightly more serious appearance. He drew a man coming to the doctor with a large, colorful, glowing belly. “Next time, take the lights off,” the medic advised him.
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