Border guards successfully prevent chocolate egg smuggling

[Toner]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/offbeat/story...da-border.html

[rb.]

Saving the USA, one Kinder Surprise at a time.

I still can't figure out why they present a danger to American children, but not Canadian children.

[NowVoyager]

Good Grief!!!!!!!!!!

After seeing the 'dangerous' KinderSurprise, I'm going to guess it's because the wee wheels of the toy might pose a choking danger?

Ah the Nanny State.

Bunch of dipsticks

[CanadaSue]

Now now, rb - doncha know that US children are delicate little flowers, speshul showflakes?

What about the emotional trauma if they were expecting a truck & got a plastic clown? Oh, the horror! What if a boy got a flowered ring or a girl got a mini toy soldier? US Customs is just thinking ahead. With Obamacare coming, they're trying to save on the costs of future psychiatric treatment.

[Potemkin]

Here is the hilarious part, the egg has the CE marking on it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking

Probably for safety certification of the toy since I don't see a CE certification of candy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking#Product_groups

---------- Post added at 06:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:52 PM ----------

Prohibition on sale or import into the United States

While Kinder eggs have been available in Canada since 1975, the product has never been allowed into the US for several reasons.

The 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act contains a section highlighting that a confectionary product with a non-nutritive object, partially or totally imbedded within it, cannot be sold within the United States, unless the FDA issues a regulation that the non-nutritive object has functional value.[8] Essentially, the 1938 Act bans “the sale of any candy that has imbedded in it a toy or trinket.” [9] (Products like Cracker Jack that contain inedible toys in the same package are not subject to the ban because the toy is in the box, not in the food.)[citation needed]

It is not clear that Kinder Surprise indeed has an “imbedded” toy.[10] In 2012 the FDA re-issued their import alert stating “The imbedded non-nutritive objects in these confectionary products may pose a public health risk as the consumer may unknowingly choke on the object.” [11]

In 1989, Ferrero sought a regulation through a petition, but it was later withdrawn and no such regulation has been issued.

In 1997, the staff of the CPSC, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, examined and issued a recall for some Kinder Surprise illegally brought into the US with foreign labels. The staff determined that the toys within the eggs had small parts. The staff presumed that Kinder Surprise, being a chocolate product, was intended for children of all ages, including those under three years of age. On this basis, the staff took the position that Kinder Surprise was in violation of the small parts regulation and banned from importation into the US. [12]

However, no statute or regulation of the CPSC specifically addresses this category of products in the US.

It should be noted that wherever marketed and sold throughout the world, Kinder Surprise bears prominent warnings both on the outer and inner packaging advising the consumer that the toy is “not suitable for children under three years, due to the presence of small parts” and that “adult supervision is recommended.” [13]

From 1991 to 1998, at least 4 children around the world have died of choking after swallowing the toy inside the Kinder egg.[14]

On January 10, 2011, it was reported that a Kinder egg was seized from a woman's car during a random inspection while entering the United States from Canada. She was informed that bringing the egg into the United States could result in a $300 fine.[4] Seizures such as that one, and even the prohibition of the product itself, have been cited on political blogs and web forums as an example of an overzealous application of law and an intrusion upon personal liberty.[15] The rationale against a ban of the product also takes the form that deaths have been too few for it to be considered a serious danger. Additionally, the argument is made that there should be a consistent standard in place, as several worse dangers are not regulated.[16]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_..._United_States

[Feather]

It's in a plastic egg like thing, it's not like a kid would bite into it.

[Toner]

Originally Posted by Feather

It's in a plastic egg like thing, it's not like a kid would bite into it.

[NowVoyager]

Originally Posted by Feather

It's in a plastic egg like thing, it's not like a kid would bite into it.

Originally Posted by Toner

True, the toy is within a separate, plastic 'egg' within the edible chocolate egg.

But here's the thing; just as some people have to be advised such things as "DO NOT USE CURLING IRON (or blow dryer) IN SHOWER, BATH OR WHILE ASLEEP", there are people who would either not supervise their children and or not inform older children, the little toy was not meant to be eaten, placed in their mouth, swallowed, shoved into their sisters' ear or crammed up their nose.

And let's be honest, it 'those sort of folks' who keep sue-happy lawyers in business.

As one comedian says: "You can't fix stupid."

So our government keeps itself in business by trying to promote the nanny state and dumb down folks to the degree they truly believe nothing is their fault and they shouldn't be responsible for or the consequences of, their actions or inactions.



This said by a person who's mom drank coffee, smoked and in fact, puffed away right up to the time they convinced her to get on the gurney and wheeled into the delivery room and was up and back in the hospital cafeteria a few hours after giving birth (She said cuz her room mate groused about her smoking in the room)... Who grew up in a world without 'child proofed' cabinets or car seat, played on metal 'monkey' bars and playground equipments, drank water from the garden hose, was a 'latch key kid' before the term had even been invented and being a typical child of that era (or maybe any era?), didn't think electricity was a 'big deal' and when her mom said "OK, Fine. Go ahead and stick that bobby pin into the wall outlet." ........ Learned hard and fast, that sometimes life will shock the hell out of you

Kids of the 50's, 60's & 70's, even, IMO, grew up not only in a more innocent time, in many ways, but in a time unfettered by the nanny state and PC mentality that somehow government can make the world safer and better by convincing people they know better what's good for them, than does the person.

We still managed to grow up pretty much with all limbs and brain cells (even taking into account the 60's and 70's ) despite not living in a child-proofed, safety capped, antiseptic, culturally sensitive, environment.

JMO YMMV

[Sonny]

Fascinating....






..Fascinating..

live Long and Prosper
~

[NowVoyager]

................And because I'm weird............

Imagine how the Border Patrol agents involved in this bust must have felt.

I mean seriously, in the overall scale of 'real and present dangers' of smugglers and such at both out northern and southern borders, it's sort of reasonable that 'potentially dangerous toy filled candy' should be way, way, way, down on the list.

Right?

Heck there are known tunnels, large enough for a vehicle to be driven into, lighted and have been navigated by reporters for crying out loud, under our southern border.

Maybe, just maybe, they manage to get it closed up for a few days, until some legal dofus starts crying about the 'rights' of the illegal aliens or drug smugglers or terrorists, being trampled upon ....... Or some bleeding heart uber liberal will bemoan that no one can prove there was anything illegal or compromising being done in those tunnels .......

But nope, well trained border agents nab a candy smuggler


That looks good on their resume; eh?

In the meantime some paradise obsessed fanatic with a backpack full of explosives or drugs or bio weapons, shuffles along in a tunnel, smug and safe that their activities will be either overlooked or if caught, defended or rationalized .......


OK..........

Rant off

[leistb]

Originally Posted by NowVoyager

Imagine how the Border Patrol agents involved in this bust must have felt.

I mean seriously, in the overall scale of 'real and present dangers' of smugglers and such at both out northern and southern borders, it's sort of reasonable that 'potentially dangerous toy filled candy' should be way, way, way, down on the list.

Right?

Point(s) taken. But read about the Stanford Prison Experiment here and here. Interesting to see what power, in this case a uniform, does to some folks.

[NowVoyager]

Originally Posted by leistb

Point(s) taken. But read about the Stanford Prison Experiment here and here. Interesting to see what power, in this case a uniform, does to some folks.

I'm familiar with the Stanford prison experiment / study and it's a valid example of how some people will respond if they believe they have / do have, power over others.

But I might have done a bad job of expressing myself about the border guards in question.

What I was trying to say is that being the person who busted a smuggler with illicit candy might make them the brunt of some jokes; as opposed to the agent who busted load of drugs, weapons or other serious contraband.

I would assume it's all part of their job, but from my perspective on the pecking order of the job, better to be known as the agent who 'Busted a known terrorist on way to commit destruction', than the agent who busted the Candy man.

That's all.

[leistb]

Originally Posted by NowVoyager

I'm familiar with the Stanford prison experiment / study and it's a valid example of how some people will respond if they believe they have / do have, power over others.

But I might have done a bad job of expressing myself about the border guards in question.

What I was trying to say is that being the person who busted a smuggler with illicit candy might make them the brunt of some jokes; as opposed to the agent who busted load of drugs, weapons or other serious contraband.

I would assume it's all part of their job, but from my perspective on the pecking order of the job, better to be known as the agent who 'Busted a known terrorist on way to commit destruction', than the agent who busted the Candy man.

That's all.

Gotcha. I understand what you're saying and I wasn't trying to drill you. I've often wondered about the agent who busted the candy man or groped the three year old myself. Either they take themselves way too seriously or there's some other type of derangement happening. Either way, I couldn't sleep with myself at night.

[rb.]

Those damned plastic eggs take an ADULT 10 minutes to open. I've probably had to open 150 of them in the last 17 years.

[Kassy]

unless the FDA issues a regulation that the non-nutritive object has functional value

It does have a functional value.

What i wanted was the cool stuff like some cars, spaceships but sometimes you would something really lame. Kinder eggs teach you life is a gamble.

[rb.]

So true.