Bizzare Post-Christmas Treat: People Eating Their X-Mas Trees, Belgium Food Agency Says...

(MENAFN- Live Mint) In a bizarre post-Christmas celebration trend, people in Belgium are eating Christmas trees to reduce waste. The trend became dominant when a city council suggested making flavoured butter and soup from the pine needles of the tree. Consequentially, Belgium's Federal Food Agency issued a warning for people not to consume their Christmas trees, reported British website Independent.

The warning came after the Ghent City Council launched a campaign last week to encourage people to consume Christmas tree to recycle and reduce waste. The suggestion also included Christmas tree recipes inspired by traditional Scandinavian dishes.

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The council, in its social media post, suggested people to make flavoured butter and soup from pine needles.

“Your Christmas tree is edible as long as it is not yew, and your tree has not been treated with a fire-resistant spray ,” Ghent Climate City wrote in a social media post.

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Days after government officials urged people to cook Christmas tree parts, the federal agency made a statement asking people not to do so.

“Christmas trees are not destined to enter the food chain,” Independent quoted federal agency's statement. The agency also said that it can't be ensured if Christmas trees are safe for consumption .“There is no way to ensure that eating Christmas trees is safe – either for people or animals,” the statement read further.

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Unlike common trees, it can be harmful to include Christmas trees as part of food because they are heavily treated with pesticides and other chemicals.

Christmas trees come to consumers only after undergoing through a long process, which requires use of chemicals and pests, to keep them fresh from longer time. The process makes them unsafe for consumption .

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