KitKat shortages possible as 413,793 bars stolen in heist

413,793 chocolate bars have been stolen while in transit from a Nestlé production facility in Italy, destined for distribution in Poland.

The cargo, weighing 12 tonnes, disappeared en route and is believed to have been stolen with the company adding in a statement on Friday that “the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found”.

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A spokesperson for KitKat said: “Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, 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 shipment has not been recovered, raising concerns that the KitKat bars may end up being sold through unofficial channels across Europe.

KitKat said that all products can be traced using the unique batch code assigned to individual bars, and that consumers, retailers and wholesalers would be able to identify if a product is part of the stolen shipment by scanning the on-pack batch numbers.

If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert the company.

The brand also told French news agency AFP that “the theft may lead to a shortage of KitKats appearing on shelf”, acknowledging that “consumers, unfortunately, may struggle to find their favourite chocolates ahead of Easter”.