Apparently, my dear sweet husband, could possibly be detained for an international crime: smuggling in chocolate candies to the United States.
We have just learned that bringing Kinder Surprise Eggs into the US could have led him to a $2500 per egg fine. Holy crap! Who knew? Well apparently my Facebook friends were well aware of this, and it has been a law since 1938! All for a delicious and super fun treat that is perfectly legal in every other country besides my own.
So what gives? Why does the US have its panties in a bunch over something so innocent? As it ends up, the US feels that Kinder Surprise Eggs are a choking hazard. For those of you who are not familiar with the eggs, the charm of them is that the chocolate coats a capsule which contains a toy inside. The toy is in small pieces and requires assembly.
As a Mom, I think this is the most ridiculous law I have ever heard of. First, the egg has a warning right on it that states the egg is not recommended for children ages 3 and under. Second, if you are worried that your child could choke on this, monitor what they are doing! Supervise them! Every other country but the USA agrees with me.
Still, emotional rant aside, here are some of the real facts and explanation of the law:
- The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. This Act prohibits the embedding of non-food items completely enclosed inside food items, unless the non-edible part has a functioning value. For example a lollipop or popsicle stick is not edible but is a useful handle. This act was originally put into place to prevent the addition of hazardous items to processed food and has never been changed.
- Deaths as a result of Kinder Eggs: (Wikipedia) In 2000, the parents of three children in the United Kingdom, who died after choking on toys inside edible eggs, campaigned for the products to be withdrawn from the European Union. Two children worldwide have died from choking on parts of the Kinder toy surprises a few days after they had eaten the chocolate egg; a third was attributed to another manufacturer's product.
So what do you think, blog readers? Should Kinder Eggs be permitted in the USA? Chime in! I, for one, do not like the government making this decision for me, but I would love to hear what everyone else thinks. Is my husband a criminal for bringing Kinder Eggs to our kiddos? You be the judge!
