The country’s food agency warned against using evergreens in food after the city of Ghent suggested an unusual form of recycling: spruce needle butter.

Belgium is warning its citizens not to eat their leftover Christmas trees after local authorities told citizens that the trees' needles could be used in meals.

A day after Belgium warned against eating Christmas trees, Swedish officials said that the needles can be safely used to make butter and other products -- as long as the trees are young and wild.

Belgium ’s Federal Food Agency on Tuesday warned people to not eat their Christmas trees after a city council suggested recipes to reuse conifers following the holiday season.

Belgium's food agency has warned people not to eat their Christmas trees after the city of Ghent suggested reusing pine needles in recipes as a way to reduce waste. The country's Federal Food Agency (FASFC) issued the unusual seasonal health warning on Tuesday after Ghent's local council launched a campaign last week urging people to recycle their Christmas trees in different ways - including eating the conifers.

In a surprising twist to holiday traditions, Belgians are encouraged to eat their Christmas trees to combat waste. However, the Federal Food Agency quickly intervened, warning against this unusual practice due to safety concerns over pesticides and chemicals used in tree cultivation.

Christmas trees are not meant to end up in the food chain at all,' said one expert who warned eating them could leave you needing a doctor - or maybe a fate even worse