GENEVA — Nestlé, the Swiss multinational known for its KitKat chocolates, reported a theft of approximately 12 tons of the beloved candy bars, translating to 413,793 individual pieces. The shipment, which departed from an Italian manufacturing facility en route to Poland, vanished earlier this week.

Based in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé confirmed on Friday that both the transport vehicle and its valuable cargo remain missing.

This consignment of KitKat bars, characterized by their signature wafer layers enveloped in chocolate, went missing during transit between manufacturing and distribution centers. The bars were intended for distribution across various European nations.

Nestlé warned that these stolen chocolate bars might surface in unofficial markets throughout Europe. However, each bar carries a distinct batch code, allowing the company to trace any unauthorized sales.

A KitKat spokesperson explained that consumers, along with retailers and wholesalers, can verify if a product is from the stolen batch by checking the batch numbers on the packaging. If a match is found, instructions will be provided for notifying the company, which will then handle the situation accordingly.

“While we commend the thieves’ taste in chocolate, cargo theft poses a growing challenge for businesses, irrespective of their size,” KitKat remarked in a statement.

“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,” the statement added.