LOOK: Nestlé's KitKat heist leads to online chaos and brand jokes

I can bet my entire salary that a 12 ton (about 12,000kgs) KitKat heist was never on your bingo card. Yet here we are, in a world where apparently anything is possible.

The internet has been losing it over news that more than 400,000 KitKat bars have been stolen in Europe.

According to reports, the shipment, which belonged to Nestlé, was on its way from Italy to Poland when it disappeared.

The truck, along with the chocolate bars, has still not been recovered.

In a statement, the company confirmed: “The vehicle and its contents remain unaccounted for, and investigations are ongoing in close collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners.”

They added that each of the 413,793 stolen bars can be traced using batch numbers, and anyone who finds a match should alert the company. Importantly, Nestlé reassured fans that there are no safety concerns for consumers and that store supply isn’t affected.

While that alone sounds like something out of a movie, social media quickly took it in another direction.

International brands and netizens wasted no time jumping on the moment, turning the situation into a joke.

Some of the biggest names online jokingly released statements, denying any involvement in the crime.

KFC jokingly claimed they were testing the bars as their “12th herb and spice.”

Domino’s posted a mock statement offering condolences and teasing a fictional KitKat pizza.

Microsoft shared a fake internal email joking about mysterious KitKat boxes showing up in the office.

McAfee issued an “(un)official statement,” punning on KitKat’s “Have a break” slogan while emphasising their security commitment.

And it did not stop there. Crumbl also entered the chat with a mock “official statement”, offering condolences while conveniently showing off their KitKat-themed cookies at the same time.

KitKat couldn’t resist a little humour too.

“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,” A spokesperson told AFP.

Even netizens got creative, turning what could have been a straightforward crime story into one of the internet’s funniest moments this week.

Behind the humour, though, the situation is still being taken seriously. Cargo theft is reportedly on the rise across Europe, with cases becoming more organised and harder to track. 

Nestlé has also warned that the stolen products could make their way into unofficial markets, although there are no safety concerns for consumers.

For now, the missing chocolate is still out there somewhere.