US on guard against chocolate eggs
Jan 13, 2011, 6:47 pm
#61
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Ah ha! This article finally explains what happened to me last year at the SFO airport port-of-entry. I always declare any food items at customs and on this trip we brought back a good sized chocolate Easter egg that the Hilton Rome Cavalieri gave us.
We got tagged for a secondary and the inspector zeroed in on the chocolate egg. He said he had to run it through the x-ray to make sure it was empty. Which it was. He then gave us back the egg and I asked him what he was looking for (I'm thinking drugs). He explained they look for small toys that can be a choking hazard for children. I thought that was a little strange at the time.
We got tagged for a secondary and the inspector zeroed in on the chocolate egg. He said he had to run it through the x-ray to make sure it was empty. Which it was. He then gave us back the egg and I asked him what he was looking for (I'm thinking drugs). He explained they look for small toys that can be a choking hazard for children. I thought that was a little strange at the time.
Jan 13, 2011, 7:41 pm
#63
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2) Ever notice that the paper often sticks out a bit?
Have any of you actually had the eggs? There is a large yellow plastic casing inside the egg. Inside that is the toy. What triggered the ban, IIRC, is that these eggs were being brought into the US and given as gifts to children. A smart parent would check it out before letting the kid eat it. Apparently, we were out of smart parents at the time.
Apr 21, 2011, 8:30 pm
#64
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'Tis the season...
My sister advises that Ferrero has a new capsule inside the egg; it is no longer two pieces but one piece connected with some sort of hinge. I have no idea if the new design is a safety feature or not.
(And best thoughts to the family of Pietro Ferrero after his sudden passing earlier this week
)
My sister advises that Ferrero has a new capsule inside the egg; it is no longer two pieces but one piece connected with some sort of hinge. I have no idea if the new design is a safety feature or not.
(And best thoughts to the family of Pietro Ferrero after his sudden passing earlier this week
)
Apr 22, 2011, 10:19 am
#68
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In all the thousands of eggs which I have received over the years, I have never eaten more than a bite and that was years ago.
The chocolate is not the point of the gift.
And I find the Asian Furuta version far worse in flavour (although it does have some very fun toys inside)
Question: Are Furuta eggs also banned in the US??
Last edited by exbayern; Apr 22, 2011 at 10:43 am Reason: Spelling - I didn't intend to call anyone a 'fare'
Apr 22, 2011, 10:26 am
#69
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Apr 22, 2011, 10:47 am
#70
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So, does that make you a 'domestic extremist' or an 'international smuggler'?
In all the thousands of eggs which I have received over the years, I have never eaten more than a bite and that was years ago.
The chocolate is not the point of the gift.
And I find the Asian Furuta version fare worse in flavour (although it does have some very fun toys inside)
Question: Are Furuta eggs also banned in the US??
In all the thousands of eggs which I have received over the years, I have never eaten more than a bite and that was years ago.
The chocolate is not the point of the gift.
And I find the Asian Furuta version fare worse in flavour (although it does have some very fun toys inside)
Question: Are Furuta eggs also banned in the US??
It is the toy, the what ever passes for chocolate is only a wrapper.
All small toys inside chocolate covers are banned. Kinder Surprise was the original their name used. I saw at MSP two Asian kids holding an Asian Kinder Surprise and was demanded that they be turned over to CBP. Bohoooo!
Apr 23, 2011, 10:42 pm
#71
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I just saw a story on our local news (NBC) decrying these "dangerous banned eggs". They even had a CBP agent state his mission as protecting our country, whether it be against terrorists, narcotics, or choking hazards.
Apr 23, 2011, 10:52 pm
#72
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The PC term for Easter Eggs is now "Spring Sphere"
It is the toy, the what ever passes for chocolate is only a wrapper.
All small toys inside chocolate covers are banned. Kinder Surprise was the original their name used. I saw at MSP two Asian kids holding an Asian Kinder Surprise and was demanded that they be turned over to CBP. Bohoooo!
It is the toy, the what ever passes for chocolate is only a wrapper.
All small toys inside chocolate covers are banned. Kinder Surprise was the original their name used. I saw at MSP two Asian kids holding an Asian Kinder Surprise and was demanded that they be turned over to CBP. Bohoooo!
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/...9/01092009.xml
I asked about Furuta because that is a similar product, but the yearly releases from CBP seem to be targeting only the Ferrero brand product in the text and photos. This article also notes that they have made over 500 seizures found by scanning parcels.
The NBC story has a more alarming figure - 1,700 seizures of 25,000 eggs in 2010. 'Feds scrambling' is frankly a little bizarre sounding - no wonder this subject is the source of so much amusement amongst German friends and colleagues. http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local...120524819.html
Last edited by exbayern; Apr 23, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Apr 23, 2011, 11:04 pm
#73
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It's not just chocolate eggs that you need to be worried about according to the Government.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...s-concern.html
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...s-concern.html
Apr 24, 2011, 8:29 am
#74
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Conservative author Mark Steyn's young children just got "busted" at the border for carrying Kinder Eggs.
His comments in a post on National Review Online are another example of how increasing concerns about the over-reach of the state during the past decade transcend the traditional right-left political sides. That's a good thing IMO.
I am looking this bright Easter morn at a Department of Homeland Security “Custody Receipt for Seized Property and Evidence”. Late last night, crossing the Quebec/Vermont border, my children had two boxes of “Kinder Eggs” (“Est. Dom. Value $7.50″) confiscated by Customs & Border Protection.
Don’t worry, it’s for their own safety. I had no idea that the United States is the only nation on the planet (well, okay, excepting North Korea and Saudi Arabia and one or two others) to ban Kinder Eggs. According to the CBP:
Kinder Chocolate Eggs are hollow milk chocolate eggs about the size of a large hen’s egg usually packaged in a colorful foil wrapper. They are a popular treat and collector’s item during holiday periods in various countries around the world, including those in Europe, South America and even Canada. A toy within the egg is contained in an oval-shaped plastic capsule. The toy requires assembly and each egg contains a different toy. Many of the toys that have been tested by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the past were determined to present a choking hazard for young children.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...awe-mark-steyn
His comments in a post on National Review Online are another example of how increasing concerns about the over-reach of the state during the past decade transcend the traditional right-left political sides. That's a good thing IMO.
I am looking this bright Easter morn at a Department of Homeland Security “Custody Receipt for Seized Property and Evidence”. Late last night, crossing the Quebec/Vermont border, my children had two boxes of “Kinder Eggs” (“Est. Dom. Value $7.50″) confiscated by Customs & Border Protection.
Don’t worry, it’s for their own safety. I had no idea that the United States is the only nation on the planet (well, okay, excepting North Korea and Saudi Arabia and one or two others) to ban Kinder Eggs. According to the CBP:
Kinder Chocolate Eggs are hollow milk chocolate eggs about the size of a large hen’s egg usually packaged in a colorful foil wrapper. They are a popular treat and collector’s item during holiday periods in various countries around the world, including those in Europe, South America and even Canada. A toy within the egg is contained in an oval-shaped plastic capsule. The toy requires assembly and each egg contains a different toy. Many of the toys that have been tested by the Consumer Product Safety Commission in the past were determined to present a choking hazard for young children.
http://www.nationalreview.com/corner...awe-mark-steyn
Jul 19, 2012, 7:30 am
#75
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Two Seattle men stopped at border for having illegal chocolate eggs
Fox: Two Seattle men stopped at border for having illegal chocolate eggs
I know many who think the Kinder chocolate eggs are very cool. However, in living abroad, working for the US, and using the US mail system, I know that this is one item that I cannot send or take back to the US.
Many here were surprised by this rule. I thought it was interesting that 60,000 Kinder eggs were confiscated in 2011!
As a Global Entry user, I would not want to be caught with something I'm not supposed to carry (even a chocolate egg that seems harmless) and lose GE privileges!
I know many who think the Kinder chocolate eggs are very cool. However, in living abroad, working for the US, and using the US mail system, I know that this is one item that I cannot send or take back to the US.
Many here were surprised by this rule. I thought it was interesting that 60,000 Kinder eggs were confiscated in 2011!
As a Global Entry user, I would not want to be caught with something I'm not supposed to carry (even a chocolate egg that seems harmless) and lose GE privileges!
Two Seattle men say they spent more than two hours in a detention center at the Canadian border after U.S. border agents discovered illegal chocolate eggs in their car.
Brandon Loo and Christopher Sweeney told KOMO-TV they decided to bring home some treats for friends and family during a recent trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. They bought Kinder Eggs -- chocolate eggs with a toy inside.
The two men say border guards searched their car and said the eggs are illegal in the United States because young children could choke on the small plastic toys. Importing them can lead to a potentially hefty fine.
Brandon Loo and Christopher Sweeney told KOMO-TV they decided to bring home some treats for friends and family during a recent trip to Vancouver, British Columbia. They bought Kinder Eggs -- chocolate eggs with a toy inside.
The two men say border guards searched their car and said the eggs are illegal in the United States because young children could choke on the small plastic toys. Importing them can lead to a potentially hefty fine.