A group of thieves in Europe has stolen more than 12 tonnes of KitKat chocolate bars, known as the “KitKat Stolen” incident, Swiss food company Nestlé confirmed in a statement.
The theft took place after a truck left a production facility in central Italy during the week of March 23. While travelling more than 800 miles toward a distribution centre and onward to Poland, the truck was intercepted. It was carrying 413,973 KitKat bars shaped like Formula 1 cars, part of a new promotion.
Nestlé stated that the vehicle and its cargo are still missing, and investigations are ongoing with support from local authorities and supply chain partners.
In a separate response, KitKat addressed the incident with a light tone. The company said it encourages people to “have a break” with KitKat, but noted that the thieves appeared to take the message too far by taking more than 12 tonnes of chocolate.
Nestlé confirmed that the theft will not affect retail supply. The limited-edition bars were launched to mark KitKat becoming the official chocolate partner of Formula 1 last year.
Each stolen bar carries a unique batch code. These products are expected to appear in unofficial markets across Europe. The codes can help identify the stolen items and include instructions for contacting KitKat when scanned.
The company advised the public not to attempt to recover the products. Anyone with information is encouraged to report it to local law enforcement.
