There’s a new crime wave spreading... five tons of Nutella stolen in Germany

Five tons of Nutella was lifted from a lorry in Niederaula (Rex Features)

German police are searching for thieves who may or may not be overweight and chocolate-mouthed after five tons of Nutella were stolen in the latest global food heist.

The sticky swag, worth almost £14,000, was lifted from a lorry in Niederaula, the scene only months ago of coffee and Red Bull raids worth £55,000.

Once a staple of mafia highwaymen staging Parmesan ambushes, food crime is becoming more common elsewhere as food prices rise.

A New Jersey man was arrested for selling £130,000 of stolen Muenster cheese at a highway rest-stop. In Quebec, three men were arrested for channelling £12m of maple syrup into a sweet-toothed Canadian cartel.

More depressingly, police in Yorkshire warned last December of a rise in “desperation theft”, including that of baby food in deprived areas.