Swiss food giant Nestle announced on Saturday that a massive shipment of KitKat chocolate, weighing approximately 12 tons, was stolen last week. The truck, carrying 413,793 bars of the new chocolate range, departed from a production facility in central Italy and was en route to Poland when it disappeared. Nestle did not disclose the exact location where the truck was lost, and as of Saturday afternoon, the vehicle and merchandise remain missing.

A spokesperson for the brand referenced the product's advertising slogan, 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 tons of our chocolate." The theft involves crunchy bars made of waffles covered with chocolate, part of a new product line.

The company warned that the heist could result in shortages of KitKat bars on supermarket shelves in some European countries. Nestle also cautioned that the stolen chocolate bars "could enter unofficial sales channels," but noted that it would be possible to trace the goods by scanning the unique batch codes found on each bar. If a match is detected, instructions will be provided to alert KitKat, which will then share evidence appropriately.

Additionally, Nestle raised concerns about the escalating issue of cargo theft. "Whilst we appreciate the criminals' exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes," KitKat said. The company decided to go public with this incident to raise awareness of what it described as an increasingly common criminal trend, citing more sophisticated schemes being deployed regularly.

Source: www.dw.com