MEPs ‘bury safety report on toy eggs’

MEMBERS of the European Parliament have been accused of burying a report highlighting the dangers of chocolate eggs containing toys, which have been blamed for choking children to death.

Parents petitioned to have the toys, contained within the chocolate eggs, such as Kinder eggs, banned in Europe after deaths in Britain, Sweden and Greece. More than one billion Kinder eggs are produced by Ferrero each year.

The European Parliament’s environment committee agreed six years ago to carry out a study to see if the eggs were dangerous. However, MEPs voted last week not to publish the report.

Aileen Breslin, from Omagh, whose only child, three-year-old Roddy, choked to death over 18 years ago after a piece of a toy from within an egg lodged in his throat, said she was disappointed by the decision to shelve the report.

“We hoped the European Parliament would be able to help us but it has been such a long drawn out process.

“I am very saddened at this latest vote because it reveals that for some, money is more important than children’s lives,” she said.

Eyrl McNally, the vice chairperson of the Scientific and Technical Options Advisory panel (STOA), who commissioned the report, has resigned in protest, while committee member Glyn Ford has asked parliament president Pat Cox to have the matter investigated by Olaf, the EU anti-fraud body. A spokesperson for Mr Cox said they will consider the request at a meeting in the parliament today.

British MEP Philip Whitehead, who first raised concerns about the eggs six years ago, accused the committee of voting to bury the report.

A Ferrero spokesman said the report carried out for the parliament committee was flawed. He said another French report with the European Commission found the chocolate eggs did not pose a risk.

The spokesman said the company had changed the packaging to include a large warning advising the eggs were not suitable for children under three.

Asked if they had put pressure on members of parliament to bury the report, he said: “All we did was to speak to people and present our point of view. The right to defence should be granted to anyone.”