KitKat announced on Wednesday that it has created an online tracker to locate a truckload of chocolate bars stolen while in transit in Europe.
The move came four days after parent company Nestlé announced that a truck carrying 413,793 units of KitKat’s Formula One-branded bars mysteriously disappeared on its way from central Italy to Poland.
The special-edition, chocolate-covered wafer treats were meant to be distributed across the continent.
KitKat declined to reveal the exact location where the truck and its 12-tonne shipment were lost, and refuted media reports that the incident could lead to a chocolate supply shortage before Easter.
It also ensured that no one was hurt in the incident, and an investigation is underway in co-operation with local authorities and supply chain partners.
The Swiss chocolatier said its “Stolen KitKat Tracker” allows consumers to determine whether their chocolate comes from the missing shipment by entering an eight-digit batch code on the back of each KitKat bar.
It is not yet known what happens when a correct code is entered into the tracker.
READ MORE: Japan unveils ‘world’s first’ diaper recycling initiative
‘Not an April Fool’s joke’
In a statement, KitKat insisted that last week’s heist was real, after it gave rise to internet memes and prompted major global brands to treat the incident as a marketing opportunity.
KFC joked it had been “product testing” for its 12th herb and spice, while Ryanair posted an artificial intelligence-generated image of a plane stuffed with KitKat bars.
“Thank you for your interest in the missing KitKats. But just to clarify, this is not a stunt or an April Fool’s joke,” KitKat wrote on its social media platforms.
“Someone really stole 12 tonnes of KitKats. And we really want to know where they’ve gone.”
Cargo theft on the rise
Earlier, Nestlé said it decided to go public to raise awareness on increasing cargo theft.
“Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes,” it said in a press release dated March 27.
“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.”
YOU MAY LIKE: Hunt for escaped capybara grips UK
Nestlé also cited a joint report by the International Union of Marine Insurance and the Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA) EMEA, which warned that cases of cargo theft and freight fraud grew at an alarming rate over the last two years across Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
In North America alone, cargo theft losses reached a whopping $455 million in 2024, with more than 3,600 reported incidents, according to the report released in February this year.
Crime intelligence data from TAPA EMEA showed that over 108,000 thefts were recorded in 110 countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa during the same period.
Five per cent of these cases reported combined losses of €1 billion ($1.15 billion at today’s exchange rates).
READ NEXT: Health news: Thailand’s bid to cut sugar levels sparks interest in Asia
Angelica N. Hall 
Carmela Calling 
Adam Peaker