Nestle To Add Warning On Plastic Balls

Candy giant Nestle agreed Wednesday to relabel a new product that features Disney figures encased in chocolate-covered plastic balls.

But the company won’t recall Nestle Magic as requested by the attorneys general of Minnesota and Connecticut, both of whom branded the product a potential choking hazard for children.

Nestle spokeswoman Laurie MacDonald said the balls pose no danger to anyone, but the company agreed to add to the label that they are intended for children of at least 3 years of age.

The new packaging will continue to say the toys are “safety tested for kids of all ages,” she said.

“It is a safe product, it is being legally marketed and there is no withdrawal of the product,” MacDonald said.

Nestle began selling the balls last month. Federal health officials said they appear to be safe because the toy inside is too big to choke someone and is encased in a plastic shell not expected to chip teeth.

Still, government officials expressed concern that competitors may race out and make candies that are a threat.

“The bottom line is, it’s not worth risking even a single child’s life or health on this new toy,” said Minnesota Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission last week advised parents who have bought the Kinder Surprise eggs manufactured in Germany to take the toys away from children under 3. The toys come in pieces that children are supposed to fit together and the safety commission said the pieces are so small that young children could easily choke.