Hunt For Prohibited Kinder Eggs

It’s that time of year when the popular chocolate eggs with a small toy surprise in the middle magically appear in the U.S. Some may think that the Easter Bunny hops across the border with them late at night, but officers at Customs and Border Protection (CBP) know better. Some eggs have been found in passenger vehicles crossing the border from Canada, while others arrived by mail and express courier.

The Kinder Eggs are made of milk chocolate and packaged in a colorful foil wrapper. The hollow center holds a plastic capsule with a toy inside. There are two reasons the eggs have been banned. One reason the eggs are banned is because the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that many of the toys tested posed a potential choking hazard for children. Another reason the eggs are illegal is because the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prohibits confectionary products with non-nutritive objects embedded in them. Even if they are cute, tiny plastic toys don’t have any nutritional value. Click HERE to read the recent alert published by the FDA.

Even though the eggs are illegal in the United States, you might be able to find one or two if you hunt hard enough. Check out eBay and Craigslist. I was curious and came up with eggs on eBay and one on Craigslist. I apologize if the links no longer work by the time you try them. CBP or one of the other law enforcement agencies may have been on an early Easter egg hunt of their own to shut these sites down.

Play it safe this weekend; enjoy time with family and friends. Maybe, if you are lucky, you will see the Easter Bunny delivering solid chocolate candy and plastic eggs for the kids to hunt.