We all know that a famous chocolate egg is banned in the United States, but few of us know why. It is actually illegal to import Kinder Surprise candy into the United States. The chocolate was already made famous by its little gimmick of a surprise toy, but this ban skyrocketed its fame.
From the same company, we now have the new and improved Kinder Joy. But what is Kinder Joy? Is it too banned in the U.S.? Here is everything you need to know.
What is Kinder Joy?
Kinder joy is part of the Kinder family of candy. It was created by Italian confectionery company Ferrero as a play on the classic Easter egg. The candy developed quite the buzz because of its innovative design. From the outside, Kinder Joy looks just like the old Kinder Surprise, but with plastic covering instead of the aluminum foil.
While the Kinder Surprise was a hollow chocolate egg that encased a small toy, Kinder Joy is actually two separate halves when opened. One half encases the candy, while the other encases a small plastic toy. There are different toys that you can get with the product and they are usually random.
The candy half of the Kinder Joy is filled with milk and cocoa cream and two crunchy wafer balls.
Is Kinder Joy banned in the United States?
No, unlike its sister product — Kinder Surprise — Kinder Joy is not banned in the United States. The candy was made available in stores in 2017. The product was made specifically to meet the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rule of not encasing non-edible items in an edible casing.
Kinder Joy can be purchased easily at any convenience store in the U.S. The company has now come out with a separate ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl’ edition of the candy which relates specifically to the toy inside. You can pick up a pack of eight Kinder Joys for $18.99 at Walmart.
Why is Kinder Surprise banned in the U.S.?
Unlike Kinder Joy, Kinder Surprise is a hollow chocolate egg that encases a plastic toy. This poses a choking hazard for the child consuming the product. The toy is completely encased within the chocolate egg, giving no indication that it is within it.
Kinder Surprise has been banned in the United States since 1930 because it went against one of the FDA regulations of having non-nutritive objects embedded in edible foodstuff. Since the plastic toy clearly qualifies as non-nutritive, import and sale of the candy was banned within the United States. However, Kinder Surprise is still available in stores to the country’s north i.e. Canada.
Final verdict
No, Kinder Joy is not banned in the U.S. and can be easily purchased. Kinder Surprise on the other hand remains banned within the U.S. Import, sale, and possession of the product is illegal within the United States.
We hope this article helped. If you have any queries, feel free to reach out to us in the comments below.Â
Related:
