Are Kinder Joy eggs banned in the US?

KINDER Eggs may be one of your favourite childhood treats, but their small inside toy does actually present a choking hazard.

So what exactly is the chocolate, and where are they banned worldwide?

What is a Kinder Egg?

Their official name is Kinder Surprise, and they are a chocolate candy made by Ferraro, an Italian brand.

The eggs are a milk chocolate shell, lined with a layer of sweet milk-flavoured cream

Inside is a plastic container holding a toy, which usually needs assembling.

It is a popular treat for children, but some adults collect the toys.

Why are Kinder Eggs banned in the US?

The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act prohibits Kinder Eggs, as they don’t allow confectionary products to contain a “non-nutritive object”.

It bans "the sale of any candy that has embedded in it a toy or trinket", so obviously the tiny toy encased in a Kinder Egg doesn’t pass.

This is due to the small parts being a choking hazard for children, although Kinder does bear the warning that the toys are "not suitable for children under three years, due to the presence of small parts".

Kinder Surprise eggs are legal in Canada and Mexico, but are illegal to import into the US.

However, in May 2017, Ferrero's Kinder Joy product became available in the US, as the chocolate and plastic toy are separated.

Kinder Joys were launched initially in 2001 in Italy, and reached the UK in December 2015.

Are they banned anywhere else?

In Chile, a law was passed in 2013 that banned commercials aimed at children that used a gift to encourage purchase.

Then in 2016, a new Food Labelling law forced food producers to include labels warning customers about any item high in sugar, saturated fat, sodium, and calories.

This law forbids products with these labels to use toys to promote their sales, which includes Kinder Surprise, so they have since been banned.