A huge shipment of Nestle’s crunchy KitKat chocolate bars was stolen in Europe, the brand said, warning that the heist risked causing shortages in stores right before Easter.

KitKat, owned by Swiss food giant Nestle, confirmed in a statement sent to AFP on Saturday that “a truck transporting 413,793 units of its new chocolate range has been stolen during transit in Europe”.

The shipment, weighing around 12 tonnes, disappeared last week while heading between production and distribution locations, it said.

“We’ve always encouraged people to have a break with KitKat,” a spokesperson for the brand said, referring to its catchphrase.

“But it seems thieves have taken the message too literally and made a break with more than 12 tonnes of our chocolate.”

The brand warned that “the theft may lead to a shortage of KitKats appearing on shelf”, acknowledging that “consumers, unfortunately, may struggle to find their favourite chocolates ahead of Easter”.

The stolen truck had left central Italy and was making its way to Poland, with a plan to distribute the bars in countries along the way.

KitKat did not say where specifically the goods had gone missing, but said “the vehicle and its contents remain unaccounted for”.

“Investigations are ongoing in close collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners,” it said.

KitKat warned that the missing chocolate bars “could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets”.

It said it was possible to trace the stolen goods by scanning the unique batch codes found on each bar.

“If a match is found, the scanner will be given clear instructions on how to alert KitKat who will then share the evidence appropriately,” it said.