What is the item that is confiscated most often by US customs?

[Laura Corin]

Before your click on the link, think what it might be.......

 

Then you can investigate the frightening top item on the list.

 

ETA: there are spoilers further down the thread, so don't scroll down if you feel like guessing.

 

Laura

Edited February 19, 2010 by Laura Corin

[Remudamom]

Merciful heavens. We're all going to be flying and I just dread it. I can just imagine what the kids will have in their suitcases.

[hsmom]

Well they must be really good??? Some of the stuff I expected others well just stupid!

[secular_mom]

LOL, nevermind, I read the list. :)

Edited February 19, 2010 by secular_mom

[melissel]

Well, that is just totally bizarre!

Edited February 20, 2010 by melissel
quoted an edited post

[Melinda in VT]

Bizarre is right.

 

I'm almost positive DH brought these back from Canada for our kids, but he was driving, not flying.

[Mrs Mungo]

Before your click on the link, think what it might be.......

 

Then you can investigate the frightening top item on the list.

 

Laura

 

Ha! I have friends in Germany mail me cases of these! :D

[melissel]

Before your click on the link, think what it might be.......

 

Then you can investigate the frightening top item on the list.

 

Laura

 

OK, I just read the wiki, and this strikes me as even MORE bizarre:

 

"Kinder Eggs are sold all over the world excluding the United States, where the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits embedding "non-nutritive items" in confections."

 

What an odd law :confused:

[secular_mom]

OK, I just read the wiki, and this strikes me as even MORE bizarre:

 

"Kinder Eggs are sold all over the world excluding the United States, where the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits embedding "non-nutritive items" in confections."

 

What an odd law :confused:

 

Choking hazard? Maybe the toys inside have lead paint?

[Laura Corin]

OK, I just read the wiki, and this strikes me as even MORE bizarre:

 

"Kinder Eggs are sold all over the world excluding the United States, where the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits embedding "non-nutritive items" in confections."

 

What an odd law :confused:

 

If you look at the construction, there is a chocolate shell, then a plastic pod inside with a toy in it. It would be really hard for any child beyond a toddler to get that wrong. And a toddler always needs watching anyway, because they could choke on the packaging.

 

Laura

Edited February 19, 2010 by Laura Corin

[melissel]

Choking hazard? Maybe the toys inside have lead paint?

 

Hmmm, good points. Did they know about lead paint hazards in 1938? The choking hazard thing is very valid though, I bet you're right.

[Laura Corin]

Choking hazard? Maybe the toys inside have lead paint?

 

The EU is pretty fierce on lead paint, so I don't think it can be that.

 

Laura

[Aubrey]

Choking hazard? Maybe the toys inside have lead paint?

 

But what about fortune cookies? Why are those allowed?

 

And I wonder if you packed the toy separately (since they come separately & you have to put it together yourself anyway), would customs still take it? :confused:

[Whereneverever]

But what about fortune cookies? Why are those allowed?

 

And I wonder if you packed the toy separately (since they come separately & you have to put it together yourself anyway), would customs still take it? :confused:

 

Those were my first thought! How are fortune cookies OK, then?

[AngelBee]

That is o strange. :lol:

[knit247]

Kinder Eggs have been a new favorite since moving to Germany last summer. The girls beg me to buy them every time we walk down to the market. I had no idea that they were illegal in the US. Crazy...

[Starr]

I think I bought some of the kinder eggs in Canada some years ago. And drove them over the border. :)

[KidsHappen]

I love Kinder Eggs and I was very disappointed that I could not get them in US when I got home or even order them off the internet. I still have few of the toys that I got in Germany over 20 years ago. I have told me kids about these so many times. I would love to be able to get some for them.

[chiguirre]

I hadn't noticed the lack of Kinder eggs in the US. But how can they ban them when there's a prize in Cracker Jacks???? Or cereal boxes???? Not to mention King Cake where the whole point is to hide the Baby Jesus in an edible item! That's completely irrational.

[Mrs Mungo]

I hadn't noticed the lack of Kinder eggs in the US. But how can they ban them when there's a prize in Cracker Jacks???? Or cereal boxes???? Not to mention King Cake where the whole point is to hide the Baby Jesus in an edible item! That's completely irrational.

 

But with Cracker Jacks or cereal the prize is in the box but not actually inside the food item. I do agree that it seems to me that King Cake and fortune cookies would be the same thing as KinderEggs.

[swimmermom3]

Merciful heavens. We're all going to be flying and I just dread it. I can just imagine what the kids will have in their suitcases.

 

You might want to check what's in their suitcase. It was a bit awkward when a good friend who is Danish tried to re-enter the States with a water pistol in her 8 yo old son's suitcase. She didn't know it was there.:tongue_smilie:

[kewb]

I'm pretty sure it is Kinder Eggs my dh purchases for the kids at the German Butcher. It is a chocolate egg with a toy inside.

[specialmama]

Before your click on the link, think what it might be.......

 

Then you can investigate the frightening top item on the list.

 

ETA: there are spoilers further down the thread, so don't scroll down if you feel like guessing.

 

Laura

 

Without scrolling down for clarification, I'm not sure if you mean the postal customs or the agents that man the booths at the border. If it's at the border it's probably some kind of food. Every time we crossed the border as kids (every summer) my dad sat there and ate everything right in front of them. He refused to let it go to them. :lol: I love my dad. :lol: If it's the postal customs folk, then it's probably weird animal parts. My sister works for Canada customs and apart from drugs which one would expect, the animal parts shocks folks. :lol:

[Suzanne in ABQ]

But with Cracker Jacks or cereal the prize is in the box but not actually inside the food item. I do agree that it seems to me that King Cake and fortune cookies would be the same thing as KinderEggs.

 

 

I've never heard of King Cake, but I can see the difference between the eggs and fortune cookies. It is highly conceivable that someone might bite a Kinder egg, not knowing that there is a choking hazard inside. They might even pop the whole thing in their mouth, and find the pod lodged in their throat.

 

A fortune cookie is different. You can see the construction of the cookie, and the paper inside is easily visible. And, one doesn't generally bite a fortune cookie; they break it in half and pull the paper out. But, even if they did bit into it, the worst they would get is a slip of paper on their tongue (which is easily removed). It would be very difficult to choke on a long slip of paper.

[nd293]

Oh, that's hilarious. No Kinder Eggs? My kids would not be happy - they're a very occasional but much loved treat around here. They are definitely not a chocking hazard, and the plastic pod inside is difficult to open, no way an little one would manage - they tend to be slippery from the chocolate oils. And the toys are not complete junk. They beat MacDonald's, anyway.

 

Otherwise everything on the list is what I'd expect. They're strict here too, and even stricter in New Zealand, where we were told to make sure our shoes were clean before entering the country!

[Mrs Mungo]

I've never heard of King Cake, but I can see the difference between the eggs and fortune cookies. It is highly conceivable that someone might bite a Kinder egg, not knowing that there is a choking hazard inside. They might even pop the whole thing in their mouth, and find the pod lodged in their throat.

 

The Kinder Eggs are not small. An adult would be hard-pressed to stick the whole thing in their mouth. There's no *way* you could swallow it whole.

 

Here's what it looks like:

http://www.madisonatoz.com/images/alexkue2.jpg

 

Here you can see the pod in someone's hand:

 

eta: King cake is a Mardi Gras thing, it's cake with a tiny, plastic baby baked into it.

[RoughCollie]

Kinder Eggs and Kinder Surprise have been banned from store shelves in the U.S., since at least 1997, because the toys inside are so small as to pose a choking hazard for children under the age of 3. A toddler who had a Kinder Egg would not always recognize that the toy inside was not part of the food in which it was hidden.

 

Here is a CPSC news release from 2006, which shows a picture of the tiny toy in pieces.

 

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml06/06140.html

 

Cracker Jacks have paper prizes now, not actual little toys like they did in my day. I guess most mothers would know that Cracker Jacks are among the foods that are a choking hazard for children under age 3.

 

I have not seen toys in cereal boxes which posed a choking hazard to kids under age 3. Some toys in cereal have been found to be choking hazards or to otherwise pose a danger to children:

 

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml93/93065.html [injury: popper toys]

 

http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PREREL/prhtml00/00136.html [choking hazard: toy cars]

 

IIRC, the CPSC used to (when my kids were tots) say that if a toy could fit inside a toilet paper tube, its size made it a choking hazard for children under age 3.

 

 

 

I hadn't noticed the lack of Kinder eggs in the US. But how can they ban them when there's a prize in Cracker Jacks???? Or cereal boxes???? Not to mention King Cake where the whole point is to hide the Baby Jesus in an edible item! That's completely irrational.

Edited February 20, 2010 by RoughCollie

[secular_mom]

You can eat paper without choking on it? :)

[RoughCollie]

You can eat paper without choking on it? :)

 

The Toy Premium Guidance published by the U.S. CPSC explains their policy in detail:

 

http://www.cpsc.gov/BUSINFO/toypremguid04.pdf

 

These regulations are to prevent accidents and parental/caretaker stupidity from killing or injuring small children-- but they cannot possibly cover every eventuality.

 

"A Birmingham woman whose daughter died after swallowing part of a toy inside a chocolate egg has welcomed proposals to ban the products.

 

Glenys Ashton, of Bartley Green, has been campaigning for a change in the law since her three-year-old daughter Jennifer died in 1989."

 

http://icbirmingham.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/2002/07/04/welcome-for-toy-ban-bill-50002-12005702/#story_continue

Edited February 20, 2010 by RoughCollie

[Laura Corin]

A toddler who had a Kinder Egg would not always recognize that the toy inside was not part of the food in which it was hidden.

 

 

But the toy is inside a large plastic pod which is clearly not food. Neither of my boys have ever been able to open the pod on their own. The standard procedure is that the child eats the egg, then hands the pod to the adult for opening.

 

Laura

[Desert Rat]

My friend sent me a similar product from Australia several years ago. I was surprised at a chokable (what we call small toys) stuck in a chocolate. Later, they changed to product to hold sweet tart type candies. I think it was originally made by Willy Wonka.

[iwka]

I ALWAYS ask people coming from EU to bring us some Kinder Eggs. My kids collected these tine toys forever. If someone in the US would produce them, he would become a millionaire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Surprise

[Stacia]

But what about fortune cookies? Why are those allowed?

 

Well, paper is not exactly delicious & nutritious, but you could actually eat it. LOL.

 

Every time we crossed the border as kids (every summer) my dad sat there and ate everything right in front of them. He refused to let it go to them. :lol:

 

:lol::lol::lol: Awesome!

 

I was just wondering if you could eat the candy at the customs counter & then walk through w/ the toy. Seems like it wouldn't be a problem....

 

Kinder Eggs and Kinder Surprise have been banned from store shelves in the U.S., since at least 1997, because the toys inside are so small as to pose a choking hazard for children under the age of 3.

 

Does it strike anyone else as odd that kids (and parents) worldwide can seemingly manage to safely eat these kinder eggs, while here we are apparently too unobservant/unable to manage w/out having (very strict) regulations on them?

 

These regulations are to prevent accidents and parental/caretaker stupidity from killing or injuring small children-- but they cannot possibly cover every eventuality.

 

Didn't read the linked pdf, but I'm wondering if this is your sentence or a quote from the document? I'd love it if the document actually referenced caretaker stupidity, lol (because, unfortunately, that happens way too often)....

 

Wow, we love kider eggs! What a surpise to find them listed on the customs list!

[TMc]

Our lawsuit happy victim mentality social culture has a few drawbacks. This is one of them.

[Orthodox6]

Maybe I'm not up to speed; however, I thought that most people knew it is illegal to bring foods and plants through Customs into the U.S. (although I recall highly-priced liquor available at the Canadian border which we could have brought back into the U.S., had we so chosen) Drug paraphernalia is a no-brainer !

[Carol in Cal.]

...Honest...

 

 

 

 

(DD's German school teacher used to give them out at Easter time. And I think I saw them for sale at a Maifest once, but maybe not.)

[LibraryLover]

Before your click on the link, think what it might be.......

 

Then you can investigate the frightening top item on the list.

 

ETA: there are spoilers further down the thread, so don't scroll down if you feel like guessing.

 

Laura

 

As a foodie, I am going to say food. I am always trying to figure out how to get certan fab food, drink, cheeses, seeds, oils etc home ;)

[elegantlion]

I hadn't noticed the lack of Kinder eggs in the US. But how can they ban them when there's a prize in Cracker Jacks???? Or cereal boxes???? Not to mention King Cake where the whole point is to hide the Baby Jesus in an edible item! That's completely irrational.

 

When we had our first King Cake a few years ago, we didn't know about the baby. Needless to say my dh had quite the WTH? moment when he bit into a plastic baby. :lol:

[Audrey]

Kinder eggs. Yes, of course. Once again the diligence of US customs foils the combined plot of Canadians and Europeans to subdue Americans with chocolate and tiny plastic toys.

 

Drat! What nefarious plot must we hatch next?

[Mesa]

Thats funny. We just went to Hawaii and on the trip going we had no problem... but on the trip back we were stopped in security for... Play doh. Yep apparently it's up to each individual airport to decide wether you can travel with play doh or not.

Hawaii is NOT friendly about it either so BEWARE.

[LibraryLover]

I forgot about Kinder Eggs. I am not surprised since the US is the most litigious country on the face of the planet. Thar be chocking hazards and lead in thar lassies...we thinks.

[RoughCollie]

But the toy is inside a large plastic pod which is clearly not food. Neither of my boys have ever been able to open the pod on their own. The standard procedure is that the child eats the egg, then hands the pod to the adult for opening.

 

Laura

 

Yeah, well, the CPSC does not recognize the standard procedure for Kinder Eggs -- they guard against nonstandard events. I think the theory is that it is better to potentially save one toddler than to let millions of kids have Kinder Eggs.

[Kate in Arabia]

Oh, my kids *love* the kinder eggs, we get them all the time. Ds 8 even has a large fishbowl that he uses to collect all the toys from inside. I got them Texas Chicken for lunch the other day and the toy/prize for the meal was a Kinder egg...

 

The only thing I've had confiscated at the airport was years ago when we brought fresh dates from Saudi. I thought the package was sealed, but the inspector examined it and found a weevil-type bug in there. He took it out and put it in a vial of clear liquid, and kept that package of dates. But other packages we had in the same suitcase were better sealed we got to keep those.

 

Oh and I also had a couple bottles of children's cold meds confiscated last year, but I didn't mind that as I had only gotten them for the flight over.

[RoughCollie]

I forgot about Kinder Eggs. I am not surprised since the US is the most litigious country on the face of the planet. Thar be chocking hazards and lead in thar lassies...we thinks.

 

Well, the CPSC is in place to protect consumers, not to prevent or cause litigation. If a store illegally sells a Kinder Egg, and it somehow injures or kills a child, then of course that store would be subject to being sued.

 

The store could also, of course, be subject to Very Bad Things happening to them, courtesy of the CPSC, if they got caught selling contraband.

 

Their purpose: "CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products."

 

One may argue that the regulations are overly broad or too numerous, but it won't change a thing.

[6packofun]

Well, are people taking out the toy and then filling them with weed or what? LOL

[cin]

OK, I just read the wiki, and this strikes me as even MORE bizarre:

 

"Kinder Eggs are sold all over the world excluding the United States, where the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act prohibits embedding "non-nutritive items" in confections."

 

What an odd law :confused:

 

Fake coloring and flavorings are excluded, of course.:tongue_smilie:

[RoughCollie]

Didn't read the linked pdf, but I'm wondering if this is your sentence or a quote from the document?

 

It's my sentence about parent/caretaker stupidity.

 

Stupidity may have been too harsh a word, but I have heard of countless injuries to children caused by events that could have been prevented by self-education, forethought, and supervision.

 

Yes, some injuries are accidental and cannot be prevented -- and I realize that only hindsight is 20-20.

[Ohdanigirl]

Oh boy we buy those all the time. The boys beg for them every weekend when dh takes them to the store for a treat. Not one has choked yet, in fact sometimes they crush it open and go straight to the toy, and even I have a hard time getting the pod open. It would also be hard to get the pod in your mouth when taking a bite. Just can't see it happening.

 

Very funny though, I never would have thought of that.

[mirth]

How thick is the chocolate shell? Is it adhered to the pod?

[Peela]

Well, are people taking out the toy and then filling them with weed or what? LOL

 

Well it took reading a few pages of this thread for me to be convinced it was a safety issue rather than a possible drug issue. I figured the kinder surprises would make perfect vehicles for drugs.

 

I have wonderful memories of bribing my brand new to homeschooling 7 year old with a kinder surprise, if he just did a few pages of maths and English for me. He was soooo disturbed and upset by his years in school, and I was so new to homeschooling, that it was not easy to get him to do anything at all. A walk to the local corner store for a kinder surprise did wonders for his morale though.