Kinder egg lovers can rejoice: the much-loved European candy is coming to America!
For those who don’t know what a Kinder egg is, it’s a milk chocolate shell with a cream filling and a toy on the inside. It’s that toy that made both the FDA and the Consumer Product Safety Commission ban the Kinder eggs from the United States (it’s a choking hazard). A few years back, two Americans were almost fined $15,000 for “smuggling” them into the country. Because of this ban the Kinder Surprise eggs have reached a somewhat cult status, with people eating as many as possible when overseas.
While the FDA has not changed their tune, Ferrero–the company that owns Kinder–has found a way to get their product in the country. Enter Kinder Joy eggs, chocolate treats that will be one half chocolate wafer, one half toy. The Kinder Joy will be available to Americans in 2018. While it’s true that you can currently buy Kinder eggs in the U.S. it should be noted that those eggs are knock-offs.
“Any Kinder product that has been sold in the U.S. up until now was done on an unauthorized basis,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement.
Kinder candy is extremely popular overseas, selling 3.5 billion eggs annually, but Ferrero is hoping to see those numbers go higher with the American market.
“Kinder is the second largest confectionery brand worldwide behind Cadbury,” said Martino Caretto, director of institutional affairs at Ferrero. “We hope in time to catch the number one spot with more expansion of Kinder outside of Europe.”
Ferrero is also responsible for another beloved chocolate treat–Nutella–as well as the long-standing Tic Tac. Earlier this year it bought Fannie May Confections Brands for $115 million, and plans on rolling out new products (like Tic Tac gum) over the next few years, hoping to battle it out with Hershey for the title of America’s favorite candy.
