12 tons of KitKat bars stolen in transit from Italy to Poland

About 12 tons of KitKat chocolate bars were stolen while being shipped from Italy to Poland, Nestlé said, in a theft the company says has not affected consumer safety or product supply.

The shipment disappeared last week after leaving a production site in Italy and heading for Poland, according to ABC News, which cited Nestlé. The company said the vehicle and its cargo were still missing as of Friday.

Nestlé said that the stolen shipment weighed about 12 tons, equal to roughly 413,793 KitKat bars, and was intended for distribution across Europe.

“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. “Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.”

The spokesperson said the company decided to go public with the theft in hopes of raising awareness about cargo theft, which it described as an increasingly common crime involving more sophisticated schemes.

KitKat said there are no consumer safety concerns and that supply has not been affected. The company also asked consumers not to try to locate, handle or recover the stolen goods, and said any information should be shared with local law enforcement.