12 Tons of Chocolate Goes Missing Before Easter Rush

Easter candy shoppers in Europe may be hunting for more than eggs this year. Nestlé says an entire truckload of its new KitKat line—about 12 tons, or 413,793 bars—vanished between its factory in central Italy and a distribution site in Poland. The company said Friday that "the vehicle and its load are still nowhere to be found," adding that it's working with local authorities and logistics partners to track them down. Nestlé warned the theft could leave store shelves short of KitKats ahead of the Easter rush and cautioned that the bars might surface through unofficial sellers, CBS News reports.

The chocolate bars were to be distributed throughout Europe, per the AP. Each bar carries a batch code that can be scanned; if the code matches the stolen shipment, the scanner will receive instructions on how to notify KitKat, which says it will pass the information to the proper authorities. The company treated the theft as amusing but not exactly funny. "Whilst we appreciate the criminals' exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes," KitKat said in a statement.