A large shipment of KitKat chocolate bars was stolen in Europe last week as they were being transported, Swiss food giant Nestle said on Saturday.
The company said that a truck which carried about 413,793 bars of its new chocolate range, about 12 tons, went missing after it left its production site in Italy earlier this week, for Poland.
In a statement on Friday, the company said that, “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found.” Nestle did not reveal where the truck was lost on the route, which covered 1,250 to 1350 kilometres.
"We've always encouraged people to have a break with Kit Kat — but it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tons of our chocolate,” a spokesperson for KitKat said in the release.
Nestle also confirmed that no one was hurt during the heist.
The bars, made of crunchy wafers covered with chocolate, were headed to a distribution site in Poland. The company said that the stolen candy bars could be sold through unofficial channels in Europe. However, it is possible to track the styles of goods by scanning the unique batch code assigned to the individual bars, DW reported.
"If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert KitKat, who will then share the evidence appropriately," the statement said.
The candy heist could result in a shortage across supermarket shelves in European countries.
"Whilst we appreciate the criminals' exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes," KitKat said.
"With more sophisticated schemes being deployed on a regular basis, we have chosen to go public with our own experience in the hope that it raises awareness of an increasingly common criminal trend."
