Thieves stole 12 tons of chocolate cars, KitKat maker says
Thieves stole 12 tons of chocolate cars, KitKat maker says
Mike Snider, USA TODAYSat, March 28, 2026 at 8:58 PM UTC
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Some thieves in Europe must have had a sweet tooth.
Thieves stole an entire truck containing more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolate bars recently in Europe, says Swiss food producer Nestlé. The company distributes KitKat bars globally, except in the U.S. where Hershey has the rights.
The truck left a production site in central Italy during the week of March 23 on the way to distribution sites, with an eventual destination of Poland, the company said in a statement to USA TODAY.
Nestlé did not say where on the 800-plus mile route the truck, which contained 413,793 of its new F1 car-shaped KitKat bars, was taken. "The vehicle and its contents remain unaccounted for, and investigations are ongoing in close collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners," Nestlé said.
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The Vevey, Switzerland-headquartered food company is hoping for a break in the case. "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," KitKat said in a statement.
KitKat fans need not be concerned about the incident affecting KitKat supplies at retail. "While any theft is concerning, our global supply chain is robust and diversified, and we are focused on managing the impact of this event while supporting the ongoing investigation," Nestlé said in a statement to USA TODAY.
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Thieves stole an entire truck containing more than 12 tons of new F1-shaped KitKat chocolate bars recently in Europe, says Swiss food producer Nestlé.
The candy bars, which are likely to be circulated in unofficial sales channels across Europe, can be identified by a unique batch code assigned to individual bars and when scanned would relay instructions on how to contact KitKat, the company said.
But the company requested consumers not to take any direct action to find or recover any stolen goods, instead suggesting they share any information with local law enforcement.
Nestlé noted that the heist comes shortly after the February release of an international report on an increase in cargo theft and freight fraud across North and South America and Europe.
"Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes," KitKat's statement said. "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.”
Many recently reported heists have involved food and drink. In December 2025, thieves in Massachusetts stole a truck stuffed with $400,000 in lobster meat bound for Costco stores in Illinois and Minnesota. And in November 2024, two trucks carrying Santo tequila, valued at about $1 million, did not make it to their destination.
Freight thieves do have other tastes. A cargo truck carrying about $1.4 million in Nintendo Switch 2 video game consoles was reported stolen in Colorado in June 2025.
Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & msnider@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: KitKat bar thieves took a truckload of candy, Nestlé says
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