Thieves have made off with more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolate bars from a truck in Italy, just days before Easter. The heist involved 413,793 units of KitKat's new Formula One range, which could lead to shortages for customers.
The truck was travelling from a factory in central Italy to Poland when it was stolen on 26 March, according to Nestlé, KitKat's parent company. The vehicle and its contents have not been located, and no one was hurt during the theft.
Nestlé confirmed the incident to the Guardian and said it is investigating with local authorities and supply chain partners. In a statement, the company riffed on its slogan: '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 stolen bars were from KitKat's new Formula One line, which features chocolate-covered wafers moulded into race car shapes. Nestlé warned that the products could appear on unofficial markets, but law enforcement can trace them using batch codes.
Nestlé said it went public to raise awareness of cargo theft, which it described as an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.
