KitKat’s statement confirming the theft of 12 tonnes of chocolate bars in transit to Europe sent the internet into a frenzy and social media was flooded with viral memes and puns.
“We can confirm that 12 tons of KitKat products were stolen during transit between our factory in central Italy and their destination in Poland,” KitKat said in a statement. However, the brand has reassured customers that there will be no shortage of KitKat bars this Easter, dismissing fears of shortages during the festival.
It also said that if the missing bars reach unofficial sales channels across European markets, all products can be traced using a unique batch code assigned to individual bars, allowing wholesalers, retailers and consumers to identify whether a product is part of a stolen shipment.
If a match is found, the scanner is given clear instructions on how to alert the company, which then shares the evidence accordingly, a Nestlé spokesperson said.
Read also | ‘Good news’ from KitKat: Delivery not hit despite 12-tonne chocolate theft
Here are the brands’ reactions:
Several brands, including KFC, Domino’s and even Microsoft, have humorously claimed responsibility for the heist as they attempted to use humor effectively on social media – cashing in on real-time events to drive engagement.
However, each brand has added a disclaimer for legal clarity.
KFC joked that it was testing chocolate bars as its “12th herb and spice” in agreement with their secret 11-ingredient recipe.
In a satirical “official statement”, Domino’s UK offered mock condolences for the recent KitKat theft and teased a fictional KitKat pizza as an “unrelated” twist.
Microsoft Edge posted a clever joke about the theft of KitKat and shared a fake internal email from “boss@outlook.com” questioning 14 spam boxes in the office, suggesting the team’s involvement.
Read also | A sweet heist? Nestlé says 12 tons of KitKat were stolen from a truck
DoorDash jokingly claimed that the stolen KitKat bars ended up in their DashMarts due to a “completely random packaging error.” The “good news” was that users need to add 500-600 bars to their carts to “solve” the excess.
Restaurant chain Denny’s also released a fake “official statement” denying involvement in the viral 12-ton KitKat heist in Europe, jokingly claiming it was “very busy” from 1:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. during the heist window.
McAfee jokingly released an “(un)official statement” sympathizing with the loss, alluding to KitKat’s “Have a break” slogan to emphasize their unwavering commitment to cybersecurity.
Read also | Nestle India is setting up a new manufacturing unit for Munch at the Sanand factory
Kentucky State Police also joined the viral trend, jokingly tying it to the seat belt recall, saying the chocolate was not “saved” despite the safety measures. “Seat belts save lives. Unfortunately… they won’t save KitKats,” they said.
FOXTV also jokingly quoted KitKat’s viral statement and mimicked the format for an “unofficial statement” to express condolences. He focused on KitKat’s slogan “Have a break” and encouraged “break and binge” FOX shows on Hulu.
Charlotte FC jokingly claimed possession of 413,000 stolen KitKat bars and offered them as giveaways for fans at their upcoming MLS game against Philadelphia.
7-Eleven Mexico promoted a limited-time Kit Kat-flavored boba slushie, featuring a chocolate brown drink topped with Kit Kat pieces, suggesting that the stolen bars inspired the drink’s flavor in a viral marketing stunt.
Several other brands like Canadian Premier League, Picsart, Figma, Crypto App Phantom and many others have also taken advantage of the viral trend.
