GENEVA — In a heist that gives a literal meaning to the brand’s famous slogan, thieves in Europe have made off with a massive shipment of 12 tonnes of KitKat chocolates. The theft, which involves over 413,793 individual bars, has prompted Swiss food giant Nestlé to warn of potential shortages just as the high-demand Easter season approaches.
The shipment was part of Nestlé’s new chocolate range and was being transported by truck from central Italy to Poland. The vehicle and its sugary cargo vanished last week while in transit, with the planned distribution to several European countries along the route now in jeopardy.
A spokesperson for the brand addressed the incident with a touch of irony, stating, “We’ve always encouraged people to ‘have a break’ with KitKat—but it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.”
While the theft poses no safety risk to the public, Nestlé is concerned that the stolen goods may enter “unofficial sales channels” or the grey market across Europe. To combat this, the company highlighted that every bar is marked with a unique batch code. Consumers and retailers are being urged to scan these codes; if a match with the stolen shipment is found, the scanner will provide instructions on how to alert the authorities and Nestlé.
Investigations are currently ongoing in collaboration with local law enforcement and supply chain partners. For now, both the truck and its nearly half-a-million chocolate bars remain unaccounted for.
