WRITTEN QUESTION E-1142/02

by Carlos Lage (PSE) to the Commission

(24 April 2002)

Subject: Food products containing free gifts

Various European child safety organisations have been loud in their condemnation of accidents involving children swallowing non-comestible objects contained in chocolate eggs, cereal packets, etc., Statistics indicate 2000 accidents of this kind a year throughout Europe with numerous instances of children dying from suffocation.

Does the Commission possess any sort of study or statistics which would corroborate these accident figures?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(30 May 2002)

As far as the collection of information in general is concerned, the Commission co-finances within the Injury Prevention Programme national data collection projects in the field of home and leisure accidents. The data are usually collected by the contractors in the Member States in outpatient departments of hospitals and contain the product involved in the injury and a description of the process leading to the injury. This description allows also for the identification of hazardous products.

One contractor under the injury Prevention Programme has prepared it's own Summary of studies and incidents, which is sent directly to the Honourable Member and to Parliament's Secretariat together with a further critique of these and other studies.

As far as the safety of non-food products accompanying food products in a separate packaging in particular is concerned, the Commission would refer the Honourable Member to its answers to Written Questions E-504/02 by Mrs Karamanou(1), E-548/02 by Mr Alavanos(3) and E-2630/00 by Mr Moreira Da Silva(2), E-2631/00 by Mrs Damião(4) and E-2632/00 by Mr Lage(5).

(1) OJ C 205 E, 29.8.2002, p. 153.

(2) OJ C 136 E, 8.5.2001.

(3) OJ C 205 E, 29.8.2002, p. 153.

(4) OJ C 136 E, 8.5.2001.

(5) OJ C 136 E, 8.5.2001.