Don’t Eat Your Christmas Tree: Belgium Issues Health Warning

In Belgium, the country's federal food agency recently issued a quirky yet serious warning urging the public not to consume Christmas trees after the city of Ghent proposed a novel idea aimed at reducing holiday waste. The suggestion, highlighted on Ghent’s environmental webpage, was to create a “delicious spruce needle butter” from leftover needles, encouraging residents to recycle their festive trees in a culinary way.

The city stated, “It’s a breeze,” emphasizing how this method could help in minimizing waste as the holiday season winds down. Despite the intent behind the suggestion, the food agency quickly pointed out possible health risks associated with consuming evergreen parts. Certain trees, such as yew, contain toxic elements, and those treated with pesticides or fire retardants could pose further dangers.

While Ghent attributed the culinary inspiration to longstanding Scandinavian traditions of using spruce needles in cooking, local food historians refuted this, noting that it isn’t a widely practiced custom in Scandinavia. In light of these concerns, the federal food agency strongly recommended against engaging in this culinary experiment, emphasizing the importance of careful decision-making when it comes to food safety during the holiday season.