German politicians have been accused of robbing youngsters of one of the small joys of childhood after announcing plans to ban the Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs, on the ground that they are a safety hazard.
Kinder Surprise eggs were invented in Italy in 1972. Kinder means “children” in German. The eggs contain novelty figures or models requiring assembly. Every year 20 new figures and jigsaws and 150 assembly kits are introduced.
The children’s committee of the German parliament, which is responsible for introducing legislation, fears children might mistake the toys contained in the eggs for food and swallow them. Critics have also said that mixing toys and food is not helpful when trying to teach children the value of good nutrition.
“Children can’t differentiate between toys and nutritional items,” says Miriam Gruss, a member of the committee. “It is a sad fact, but that means that Kinder Surprise eggs have to go.” Cornflakes and other products that contain toys are also on the blacklist.
The company Ferrero, which produces Kinder Surprise eggs for Germany, has responded angrily to the announcement, saying its product had undergone many safety tests since first entering the German market in 1974. “There is absolutely no evidence that Kinder Surprise eggs as a combination of toy and foodstuff are dangerous,” says Elise Glaab, the company’s spokeswoman. “The Kinder Surprise toy is separated from the chocolate by a plastic capsule.”
Torben Erbrath, spokesman for the Federal Association for the German Confectionery Industry, agrees. “We have seen no evidence that the eggs are dangerous,” he says adding that the committee did not provide any statistics to back up safety fears. The egg — known in Germany as Überraschungs Ei or Ü-Ei — contains a yellow capsule housing a small toy and is loved by children across Europe, but nowhere more so than in Germany.
The newspaper Bild says the ruling is “a shock to millions of children”, and on August 8 collectors of Kinder Surprise toys rallied on websites. On the most prominent Kinder Surprise collectors’ forum, Eierlei.de, bloggers accused the government of “beheading” their favourite sweet. Moreover ‘Sonnenschein’ accused the parliament of “stealing our last little joy — with no reasonable explanation”.
(Excerpted and adapted from The Guardian)