Italy’s not having a great time of late when it comes to protecting treasured goods...

After the museum heist that saw millions worth of artwork nabbed comes another daring heist that happened over the weekend.

Twelve tonnes of KitKat bars were stolen in a high-stakes chocolate heist, with confectionery giant Nestlé confirming the robbery on Sunday.

In an official statement, the company explained that precisely 413,793 chocolate bars were stolen while in transit between a factory in central Italy and end destination in Poland.

"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."

“Whilst we appreciate the criminals’ exceptional taste, the fact remains that cargo theft is an escalating issue for businesses of all sizes. 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.”

"We are working closely with local authorities and supply chain partners to investigate," read the official statement, adding: "The good news: there are no concerns for consumer safety, and supply is not affected."

Predictably, the news of the heist has sparked interest online – with many making pop culture references that range from Scarface to Breaking Bad, via a lot of "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory" references.

Check out some of the funniest reactions to the sweet heist:

Nestlé warned that the missing chocolate bars "could enter unofficial sales channels across European markets". Company officials said that if this occurs, law enforcement can trace stolen products through batch codes assigned to individual bars.