Surprise in store for “surprise egg” mailers

Don’t be surprised if your “surprise eggs” don’t make it State-side.
A lady in Vilseck, Germany, recently got a surprise letter from U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents who removed 18 chocolate eggs from a package she had mailed State-side. The reason is that Kinder-brand chocolate eggs and similar items are banned in the United States. CBP will also take the eggs from your bags if you have them in your luggage at the airport.

While most people probably think the eggs are innocuous, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission believes the toy surprise hidden inside can pose choking and aspiration hazards to children younger than 3 years of age.

Kinder eggs are hollow milk chocolate eggs about the size of a large hen’s egg in an orange, white and blue foil wrapper. The toy inside the egg is contained in an oval-shaped plastic capsule. The toys are relatively small, and some contain very small pieces that need to be put together; each egg contains a different toy. The labeling can be in various languages and has a warning on the package that they are only suitable for ages 3 and up.

CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

For more information, visit CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml06/06140.html.