On a more serious note, Kit Kat added, “The fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/KitKat-bars-032826-bdb130e57af04c78aa817b2eced97591.jpg "Nestle KitKat bars packaging are seen in a shop in United Arab Emirates on November 24, 2023.")
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NEED TO KNOW
- Nestlé said thieves in Europe stole 12 tons of Kit Kats
- The food company added that 413,793 chocolate wafer candy bars were stolen after they left a production site in Italy
- “Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” Kit Kat said in a statement
Thieves made off with more than 400,000 Kit Kats in Europe this week.
Nestlé announced in a news release on Friday, March 27, that about 12 tons of Kit Kats — or 413,793 of the chocolate wafer candy bars — were stolen after they left a production site in Italy and were headed to Poland.
"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 Kit Kat said in the release.
Credit: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty
According to Nestlé, the candy bars were headed to a distribution site and set to be distributed throughout Europe at the time of the theft.
The company said that the candy bars could be sold through unofficial channels in Europe, but it will be possible to track the stolen goods by scanning the unique batch code assigned to individual bars, per European news site DW.
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The Vevey, Switzerland-based food giant, which owns Kit Kat, have not found the vehicle carrying the stolen candy.
"If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert Ki tKat who will then share the evidence appropriately," the company said, per DW.
In Kit Kat’s statement, the brand noted the seriousness 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," the company 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," the statement added.
PEOPLE has reached out to Nestlé for comment.
