If you’re coming back from Canada with a handful, or even just one, Kinder Egg, you’re breaking the law.  It’s against U.S. law to bring chocolate Kinder Eggs into the U.S., and can result in a $300.00 fine, per egg.

Several people have already had their collectible eggs, with a toy inside, taken by U.S. Customs officials after a random inspection at the border.  U.S. law banned the eggs precisely because they have a toy inside.  They are considered a health risk to children.  Last year (2010) U.S. Customs seized 25,000 Kinder Eggs at the U.S./Canadian border.

That’s pretty lame.  I used to get these Italian creations whenever I had the chance. My kids loved them when they were young.  Now I find out why it’s so hard to get them in the U.S.

The company that makes them is the Italian based Ferrero. Originally called Kinder Surprise, they’ve been making them since 1972, yet the United States government thinks they are some kinda terrorist threat to our children (maybe there’s WMDs in there?).  Actually, there is a U.S. law that says a food product cannot contain a non-edible object inside it.  Since 1991 seven kids, in the entire world, died choking on the Kinder Egg toy surprise.  There are legal toys/candies in the U.S. that have caused more deaths than that!

Another surprise is that even though they are illegal in the U.S., Canadian companies are selling them to people in the U.S., through the mail.  There used to be a small European food store where I live, in Idaho, and they sold Kinder Eggs all the time.  In fact they were their best selling item.  Where did they get the Kinder Eggs?  From a Canadian food supplier, though the mail.

Kinder Eggs have become so popular in the world that there are special eggs made for several countries, and holidays.  Wouldn’t it suck to go to jail for trafficking illegal chocolate eggs?   Sounds like some kinda Willy Wonka gone-bad movie.