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HEIDELBERG, Germany — To those people thinking of sending Easter eggs stateside this year: beware. Regular chicken eggs and Kinder surprise chocolate eggs are banned from import to the states, and those who violate this ban may be subject to heavy fines.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents will remove Kinder surprise chocolate eggs from your baggage or any package mailed stateside,” said Bill Johnson, USEUCOM Customs Executive Agency. Mr. Johnson added that items being shipped to the states should always be declared on the customs declaration forms to avoid penalties.
Kinder Chocolate Eggs are a popular treat and collector’s item all over Europe. They are hollow milk chocolate eggs about the size of a large hen’s egg in a colorful foil wrapper. An oval-shaped plastic capsule within the egg contains a toy that may require assembly.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission tested many of the toys in the past and determined they present a choking hazard for young children. The Food and Drug Administration has issued an import alert for Kinder eggs because they are a confectionery product with an imbedded non-nutritive object.
Last year, CBP officers discovered more than 25,000 of these banned chocolate eggs. More than 2,000 separate seizures were made of this product, most arriving as small personal shipments at mail and express courier facilities.
Eggs from hens or other types of poultry are generally not allowed to be shipped or mailed to the U.S. due to poultry diseases such as Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or Exotic Newcastle Disease, which are found in many countries around the world.
“These diseases do not occur in the United States, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to ensure it stays that way,” said Scott Sanner, U.S. Department of Agriculture adviser to the European Command.
Non-commercial amounts (10 or less) of empty egg shells that are clean and dried for decoration from HPAI-free countries may be shipped to the U.S., but proof of the country of origin is required. This means that only commercially decorated eggs in their original packaging with country of origin labels will be accepted.
Homemade eggs that have been blown clean and only consist of the shell are not accepted.
Also, natural products used to make Easter decorations are often banned from import to the U.S. because of the agricultural pests and diseases they may carry.
People should not ship or mail scenes that contain moss, bark, pinecones, untreated straw or other materials that may harbor insects or plant diseases.
Non-commercial, manufactured scenes and other decorative items made with wood (no bark) that are processed can be mailed but are subject to inspection in the U.S. findings of pests or plant disease on the items will result in them being seized.
Contact a local U.S. Military Customs office or the EUCOM Agriculture Adviser for more information. For more information on the Kinder egg ban, visit CPSC’s website at www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml06/06140.html.
