Perspectives

It is a punishable offence to smuggle Kinder eggs into the United States.  Something that returning Americans, having innocently enough picked up those chocolate eggs containing tiny toys to delight children, discover when they bring them back with them.  A Seattle couple learned their lesson when they spent two hours in a detention centre crossing the Canadian border back to the United States.

Canada sells the chocolate Kinder eggs openly, a truly shocking lapse of judgement.  The reason they represent contraband goods in the United States is because of fears that young children might come to harm by swallowing the tiny toys contained within the hollow eggs.  Canada, however, judged otherwise, feeling that very small children are unable to extract the interior toys on their own; an adult would do that for them.

Still, U.S. Customs and Border Protection takes the law seriously.  They remain illegal in the United States for fear that young children might choke on them.  And that is that.  An impressive fine is attached to Kinder eggs.  The two men, having visited Vancouver, decided to load up on the neat confections, to give them as gifts on their return to Seattle, for friends and family members.

Border guards, searching their car, found the eggs and informed the pair of their illegality.  "Kinder eggs are prohibited just like narcotics are prohibited.  Our officers, if they encounter prohibited stuff, they're subject to seizure", explained Mike Milne of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.  The agency claims further to have seized over 60,000 Kinder eggs from travellers' baggage and international mail shipments in 2011 alone.

"I thought [the American border guard] had done his search and hadn't found anything, and he was joking with us.  He wasn't joking", said 35-year-old Christopher Sweeney.  Banned in the United States, a border guard told them the fine that can be levied comes to $2,500.  Per egg.  And they were ordered to go to the detection centre.  But someone failed to confiscate the eggs, and on their return to their vehicle, there they were.

Ferraro brought this chocolate egg product out in 1972 in Italy, and they've been available since 1975 in Canada.  Yet denied access to the huge American market over safety concerns.  For that matter the U.S. has a prohibition on embedding non-food items within confections.  Health Canada has no such concerns of children inhaling or choking on the toys.

"Keeping the border secure is obviously important, but somebody needs to take a common sense look at this rule and probably just get rid of it", commented Mr. Sweeney, comfortable enough with handing out the unconfiscated eggs as gifts to family and friends, as originally intended.