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.

Christmas trees are not supposed to end up on your dinner table. Well, if you were thinking otherwise, Belgium’s food agency has issued a warning asking people not to eat conifers

Asked what they thought of the idea, the reply from Belgium's federal agency for food chain security, AFSCA, was a resounding "No". "Christmas trees are not destined to enter the food chain," it said in a statement.

Belgium’s Federal Food Agency (FASFC) issued a warning Tuesday against eating Christmas trees after the city of Ghent recommended that people do so to cut back on waste. "Christmas trees are not meant to end up in the food chain," FASFC spokesperson Hélène Bonte said Tuesday.

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. But Anneli Widenfalk,

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