A large shipment of KitKat chocolate bars was stolen while in transit to distributors, a major candy crime that occurred just days before Easter Sunday.
According to Agence France-Presse, the stolen truck was carrying 413,793 units from a “new chocolate range,” totaling about 12 tons, when it was intercepted while en route through Europe on March 26.
The heist was confirmed by KitKat in a statement released Monday, with the company saying it is working with local authorities and supply chain partners to investigate the theft.
“We can confirm that 12 tons of KitKat products were stolen while in transit between our factory in central Italy and their destination in Poland,” the company said.
“We are working closely with local authorities and supply chain partners to investigate. The good news is that there are no concerns for consumer safety, and supply is not affected,” it added.
A spokesperson for Nestlé, KitKat’s parent company, told The Athletic: “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 tons of our chocolate.”
The company added that while it “appreciates the criminals’ exceptional taste,” cargo theft remains a serious issue for businesses.
Nestlé said the stolen products were part of KitKat’s new Formula One-themed line, launched after the brand became the official F1 chocolate bar in 2025, The Athletic reported.
The chocolates were molded into Formula One race car shapes while retaining KitKat’s signature chocolate-covered wafer.
Following the incident, Nestlé warned that the stolen bars could end up in unofficial markets. If this happens, authorities can trace the products using batch codes assigned to each bar.
