Thieves make a break with over 400,000 KitKat bars in Europe
Nestlé says the stolen chocolate could circulate in unofficial sales channels, but there is no supply shortage risk
Dominic Lipinski - PA Images / Getty Images
A truck carrying more than 413,000 KitKat bars — roughly 12 tonnes of chocolate — was stolen during transit in Europe last week, Nestlé confirmed.
A shipment of 413,793 units from a new KitKat range went missing while being transported between production and distribution sites. The truck left central Italy and was on its way to Poland, covering a distance of about 1,250 to 1,350 kilometers. The truck and its cargo have not been found, and Nestlé says it is working with local authorities and supply chain partners to investigate.
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Nestlé said there is no risk associated with the product itself and that the theft will have no impact on supply or trade — a correction to an earlier version of its own press release that suggested the incident could cause a shortage ahead of Easter. The company warned, however, that the missing bars could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets.
Each bar carries a unique batch code that can be used to trace the stolen goods. According to CBS News, Nestlé said a positive batch-code scan would trigger guidance directing the finder to notify KitKat, which would then hand the information to investigators. Consumers have been asked not to attempt to locate or recover the stolen goods directly.
"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," a KitKat spokesperson said in a statement. "The fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes. 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."
The theft came shortly after a joint report from the International Union of Marine Insurance and the Transported Asset Protection Association identified an increase in cargo theft and freight fraud, with criminal deception tactics growing more advanced, the company said.
The stolen goods are part of a Formula 1-branded KitKat range. According to The New York Times, the range is tied to a partnership that launched last year, coinciding with F1's 75th anniversary and KitKat's 90th. The lineup comprises two products: an F1 car shape cast in milk chocolate with a crunchy cereal-and-wafer interior, and the F1 KitKat Chunky.