Curious warning from an authority: Please don't eat Christmas trees!

Ghent (Belgium) - Throw them away or eat them? The Belgian city of Ghent has suggested that old Christmas trees should not simply be thrown away - but that their pine needles should be eaten! According to a report by Euronews, the food authority had to intervene and corrected the recommendation.

The city council had previously launched a campaign asking people to recycle their trees in various ways.

For example, the city suggested preparing the needles in the Scandinavian tradition:

"You pluck the needles from the branches, dip them briefly in boiling water, pour them through a sieve and dry them on a clean cloth. Once the needles are dry, you can use them to make a delicious spruce needle butter, for example on bread or toast. It's child's play," says Ghent city council on its website.

The food authority then intervened, pointing out that most trees are treated with pesticides and other chemicals.

"In addition, there is no easy way for consumers to know if Christmas trees have been treated with flame retardants - and not knowing this could have serious, even fatal, consequences," the food authority said in a statement.

The city has since amended its originally published post. Officials have also added a note on their website that not all Christmas trees are edible and warned against confusing them with yew trees, which are poisonous.