Chocolate lovers may be in for some bad news ahead of Easter as there is a threat of a shortage of the popular KitKat chocolate bars. The reason is an unusual robbery in which a shipment weighing 12 tons was stolen, which was confirmed by Nestlé.
Last week, more than 400,000 chocolate bars from the new Crunch KitKat line went missing after thieves stole a truck carrying them. The vehicle was on its way between production and distribution centers in Europe when it was lost.
Nestlé explained that a truck with exactly 413,793 chocolate bars was loaded in a factory in central Italy, and the shipment was supposed to arrive in Poland. Somewhere on that route, the truck disappeared, and the company announced that the vehicle and its cargo have not yet been found. The exact location of the theft is still unknown.
Nestlé confirmed the theft
The Swiss food giant confirmed the theft of the shipment in a statement to AFP published on Saturday.
“We’ve always encouraged people to take a break with KitKat”said the company’s spokesperson and added: “But it seems the thieves took that message a little too literally and made off with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.”
He emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and that Nestlé is cooperating with local authorities and supply chain partners.
They warn of a growing problem
The company warned that this case is not an isolated one, but part of a broader problem of cargo theft, which affects companies of various sizes.
“As much as we appreciate the exceptional taste of the perpetrators, cargo theft is becoming a growing problem for companies of all sizes”they said, reports the Independent.
They added that criminals are using more and more sophisticated methods and that they decided to speak publicly about this case in order to warn of the growing trend.
Possible shortage before the holidays
Although the whole story may seem almost unbelievable at first glance, Nestlé warns that the consequences could be serious, especially on the eve of the Easter holidays.
The disappearance of more than 400,000 chocolate bars could lead to a shortage of KitKat on store shelves. The company also fears that the stolen goods could end up in unofficial sales channels across Europe.
How to check if the goods are stolen
Nestlé states that consumers can still check if they have stolen products in their hands. Each package has a unique serial code that can be scanned. If it is determined that the goods are stolen, the system will instruct the user how to notify KitKat, and the company will then forward the collected information to the relevant services, reports Index.hr.
(TYPE/Photo: Illustration)
