Sweet heist: 12 tonnes of KitKat stolen in Europe before Easter

Swiss food brand Nestlé has reported the theft of a large shipment of its popular Kit Kat chocolate bars in Europe, warning the incident could disrupt supplies ahead of the Easter season.The company confirmed in a statement that a truck carrying 413,793 units of its newly launched chocolate range was stolen while in transit. According to AFP, the shipment, weighing about 12 tons, went missing last week during transportation between production and distribution points. According to the company, the truck had traveled from central Italy to Poland, with plans to distribute products to several European countries along the way. However, the exact location where the theft took place has not been revealed and the vehicle and its cargo remain untraceable.A spokesman for the brand, referring to its famous slogan, said the company has always encouraged consumers to “take a break” from KitKat, but added that in this case, “the thieves appear to have taken that message too literally.”“We have been encouraging people to give up KitKat chocolate. But thieves appear to have taken this message too literally and stole more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate,” the spokesman said.Nestlé warned the theft could lead to temporary shortages of Kit Kat bars in stores, especially in the run-up to Easter when demand typically rises. The company also warned that stolen products could find their way into unofficial or unauthorized sales channels across European markets.An investigation into the incident is currently underway in coordination with local authorities and supply chain partners. Nestlé said it was working to track the missing shipments using unique batch codes printed on each chocolate bar. If discovered, the system will prompt the user with instructions to alert the company so further action can be taken.“If a match is found, the scanner will receive clear instructions on how to alert KitKat, which will then share the evidence appropriately,” the company said.The brand urges retailers and consumers to remain cautious and continue efforts to recover stolen goods and prevent them from circulating in the market.