413,793 KitKat bars stolen in shocking heist that risks causing international shortage

Call the cops, as we might have a major chocolate crisis on our hands.

In what may go down as one of the most bizarre heists in history, thieves have swiped a 12-ton shipment of KitKat bars, Nestle has announced.

The Swiss food giant acknowledged that although it encourage peoples to take a break while enjoying one of the chocolate-covered wafer bars, they didn't mean stage a break in.

According to Nestle, more than 400,000 KitKat bars from its new crunch range were stolen last week after crooks who apparently have quite a sweet tooth swiped the truck carrying them.

The lorry was travelling between production and distribution locations in Europe when it disappeared.

Nestle explained that hundreds of thousands of its latest KitKat bars had been loaded onto the lorry in a factory in central Italy, before it set off for Poland.

(Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)

Somewhere along the way, the truck got nicked. Nestle said that 'the vehicle and its contents remain unaccounted for'.

The exact location where the robbery took place remains unclear.

In a statement shared with AFP on Saturday, the company explained that 'a truck transporting 413,793 units of its new chocolate range has been stolen during transit in Europe'.

"We've always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat," a spokesperson said.

"But it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tons of our chocolate.

"Investigations are ongoing in close collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners."

In a separate statement, as per the Independent, KitKat said: "Whilst we appreciate the criminals' exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes.

(Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"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."

Although the idea of a chocolate heist of this scale is quite comical, Nestle warned that it could have serious consequences for shoppers over the Easter period.

Nestle warned that as over 400,000 bars have gone AWOL, it could lead to a KitKat shortage and customers might not be able to get their hands on them.

It went on to suggest that the missing chocolate bars 'could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets'.

The good news is, there is a way you can tell if you're handling stolen KitKat bars - as consumers can scan the unique batch codes which are featured on each of them.

"If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert KitKat who will then share the evidence appropriately," Nestle said.