View source for Kit Kat

{{Short description|Chocolate-covered wafer bar}}
{{other uses|Kit Kat (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox brand
| name                   = Kit Kat
| logo                   = Kit kat logo17.png
| logo_size = 200
| image                  = KitKat.jpg
| image_size             =
| caption                = Standard four-finger Kit Kat
| producttype            = Confectionery
| currentowner           = [[Nestlé]]<br />[[The Hershey Company|Hershey's]] (US licence)
| country                = United Kingdom
| introduced             = {{start date and age|1935|09|df=yes}}
| discontinued           =
| related                = [[Rolo]]
| markets                = Worldwide
| previousowners         = [[Rowntree's|Rowntree]] (1935–1988)
| trademarkregistrations =
| ambassadors            =
| tagline                = "Have a break...Have a Kit Kat!"<br />(Worldwide)<br />"Gimme a break, Gimme a break, Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat Bar!", "Break time, anytime"<br />(US only)
| website                = {{URL|https://www.kitkat.com/|kitkat.com}}
}}

'''Kit Kat''' (stylised as '''KitKat''' in various countries) is a [[chocolate]]-covered [[wafer]] bar [[Confectionery|confection]] created by [[Rowntree's]] of [[York]], England. It is produced globally by [[Nestlé]] (which acquired Rowntree's in 1988),<ref>{{cite web|title=Nestlé UK Website – History of Rowntree|url=http://www.nestle.co.uk/OurBrands/AboutOurBrands/ConfectioneryAndCakes/History+of+Rowntree.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070318003315/http://www.nestle.co.uk/OurBrands/AboutOurBrands/ConfectioneryAndCakes/History%2Bof%2BRowntree.htm|archive-date=18 March 2007|access-date=4 April 2007|quote=1988 – Nestlé SA buys Rowntree plc.}}</ref> except in the United States, where it is made under [[licence]] by the [[H. B. Reese|H. B. Reese Candy Company]], a division of the [[The Hershey Company|Hershey Company]] (an agreement Rowntree's first made with Hershey in 1970).<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |title=In Japan, the Kit Kat Isn't Just a Chocolate. It's an Obsession |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/24/magazine/candy-kit-kat-japan.html |access-date=8 June 2022 |work=The New York Times|date=24 October 2018 |last1=Rao |first1=Tejal }}</ref>

The standard bars consist of two or four pieces called fingers composed of three layers of wafer, separated and covered by an outer layer of chocolate. Each finger can be snapped from the bar separately. There are many flavours of Kit Kat, including milk, white, and [[dark chocolate]].

The original four-finger version of the bar was developed after a worker at Rowntree's York factory put a suggestion in the recommendation box for "a chocolate bar that a man could take to work in his pack up".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nestle.co.uk/en-gb/aboutus/history/blog/posts/kitkatturns80 |title=KitKat is named after a man called Christopher |date=28 August 2015 |access-date=12 April 2020 |publisher=Nestlé |archive-date=12 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412004015/https://www.nestle.co.uk/en-gb/aboutus/history/blog/posts/kitkatturns80 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was launched in September 1935 in the UK as Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp, and the later two-finger version was launched in 1936. It was renamed Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp in 1937, and just Kit Kat after World War II.<ref name="First commercial"/>

Since making its first television appearance in a British commercial in 1958, the [[Advertising slogan|slogan]] for the Kit Kat in the UK and elsewhere has been "Have a break... have a Kit Kat".<ref name="First commercial"/><ref name="Slogan">{{cite news |title=Kit Kat: Meccano|url=https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-kit-kat-meccano-1969-online |access-date=24 November 2021 |agency=[[British Film Institute|BFI]]}}</ref><ref name="Archive">{{cite news |title=Kit Kat 1955-1959 |url=http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/kit-kat-1955-1959 |access-date=28 July 2019 |work=Yorkshire Film Archive |archive-date=22 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522001202/http://www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/kit-kat-1955-1959 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Since 1986 in the US, the jingle used in television advertisements has been "Gimme a break, Gimme a break, Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar!"<ref>{{cite web|date=11 June 2020|title=The Story Behind the Music: The Iconic Kit Kat Jingle|url=https://nerdbot.com/2020/06/11/story-behind-the-music-the-kit-kat-jingle/|access-date=23 November 2020|website=NERDBOT}}</ref>

== History ==
Use of the name Kit Kat or Kit Cat for a type of food goes back to the 18th century, when [[Scotch pie|mutton pies]] known as a Kit Kat were served at meetings of the political [[Kit-Cat Club]] in London owned by [[pastry]] chef Christopher Cat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Room 9: The Kit-cat Club |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/room-by-room/room-9-the-kit-cat-club.php |access-date=10 July 2021 |agency=National Portrait Gallery |archive-date=10 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710131320/https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/display/room-by-room/room-9-the-kit-cat-club.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The origins of what is now known as the Kit Kat brand go back to 1911, when [[Rowntree's]], a confectionery company based in [[York]], England, trademarked the terms Kit Cat and Kit Kat. The names were not used immediately and Kit Kat first appeared in the 1920s, when Rowntree's launched a brand of boxed chocolates entitled Kit Cat. This continued into the 1930s, when Rowntree's shifted focus and production onto its [[Black Magic (chocolates)|Black Magic]] and Dairy Box brands. With the promotion of alternative products, the Kit Cat brand decreased and was eventually discontinued.<ref name="Kk1">{{cite web|url=http://www.nestle.com/MediaCenter/NewsandFeatures/AllNewsFeatures/Happy-75th-birthday-KitKat.htm |title=Happy 75th birthday Kit Kat |publisher=Nestlé |access-date=10 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015224428/http://www.nestle.com/MediaCenter/NewsandFeatures/AllNewsFeatures/Happy-75th-birthday-KitKat.htm |archive-date=15 October 2010 }}</ref> The original four-finger bar was developed after a worker at Rowntree's York Factory put a suggestion in a recommendation box for a snack that "a man could take to work in his pack".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8446094.KitKat___s_75th_anniversary_heralded/|title=KitKat's 75th anniversary heralded|newspaper=[[The Press]]|location=[[Christchurch]], New Zealand|date=12 October 2010|access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref> The bar was officially launched in September 1935, under the title of Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp (priced at 2[[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|d]]), and was sold in London and throughout southern England.<ref name="professional">{{cite web|title=The History of Kit Kat|url=http://www.nestleprofessional.com/uk/en/SiteArticles/Pages/History_of_KitKat.aspx|publisher=[[Nestlé]]|access-date=4 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102073613/https://www.nestleprofessional.com/uk/en/SiteArticles/Pages/History_of_KitKat.aspx|archive-date=2 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:HK Shau Kei Wan 香港海防博物館 Museum of Coastal Defence HKMCD British foods 1940s Rowntree's Kit Kat Chocolate.JPG|thumb|upright=1.1|left|Exhibit of British foods in the 1940s during World War II. Pictured in replica wartime packaging, [[Rowntree's]] Kit Kat returned to red packaging after the war.<ref name="First commercial"/>]]
Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp was renamed Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp in 1937.<ref name="Archive"/><ref name="Kk1"/> The colour scheme and first flavour variation to the brand came in 1942, owing to [[World War II]], when food shortages prompted an alteration in the recipe. The flavour of Kit Kat was changed to dark chocolate; the packaging abandoned its Chocolate Crisp title, and was coloured blue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://popsop.com/39282 |title=Kit Kat Turns 75 |publisher=Popsop |location=[[Stevenage]], England |date=11 October 2010 |access-date=4 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620212415/http://popsop.com/39282 |archive-date=20 June 2013 }}</ref> After the war the name became Kit Kat, with the original milk chocolate recipe and red packaging.<ref name="First commercial"/>

Following its success in the United Kingdom, in the 1940s Kit Kat was exported to Canada, South Africa, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1957, Donald Gilles, the executive at JWT London, created the iconic advertising line "Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat".<ref name="Slogan"/> The brand further expanded in the 1970s when Rowntree created a new distribution factory in Germany to meet European demand and established agreements to distribute the brand in the US through the Hershey company, and in Japan through [[Fujiya Co.|Fujiya]].<ref name="Kk1"/>

[[File:Kit-Kat-Split.jpg|thumb|4-fingered Kit Kat split in half]]
In June 1988, Swiss company Nestlé acquired Kit Kat through the purchase of Rowntree's, giving Nestlé global control over the brand, except in the US,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.netnewspublisher.com/iconic-brand-kit-kat-celebrating-its-75th-year/ |title=Kit Kat Celebrates its 75th Anniversary |work=Net News Publisher |date=12 October 2010 |access-date=4 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120172601/http://www.netnewspublisher.com/iconic-brand-kit-kat-celebrating-its-75th-year/ |archive-date=20 January 2013 }}</ref> and production and distribution increased with new facilities in Japan and additional manufacturing operations set up in Malaysia, India and China.<ref name="Kk1"/>

The Hershey Company has a licence to produce Kit Kat bars in the United States which dates from 1970, when Hershey executed a licensing agreement with Rowntree which allowed Hershey to retain the Kit Kat licence so long as Hershey was not sold.<ref name="NYTimes"/> Nestlé, which has a substantial presence in the US, had to honour the licensing agreement when it bought Rowntree in 1988. As Kit Kat is one of Hershey's top five brands in the US market, the Kit Kat licence was a key factor in Hershey's failed attempt to attract a serious buyer in 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.confectionerynews.com/Markets/Nestle-quiet-on-Hershey-sale|title=Nestlé quiet on Hershey sale|work=Confectionery News|publisher=[[William Reed Business Media]]|date=5 August 2002|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> Even Nestlé rejected Hershey's asking price.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sorkin|first=Andrew Ross|agency=[[New York Times]]|url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Possible-buyers-seller-far-apart-on-Hershey-sale-2778035.php|title=Possible buyers, seller far apart on Hershey sale / Price and politics are obstacles|newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|publisher=[[Hearst Corporation|Hearst Communications]]|location=San Francisco|date=27 August 2002|access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref> Nestlé's sale of its US confectionery business to [[Ferrara Candy Company]] in 2018 did not impact the Kit Kat bar, and thus rights would revert directly to Nestlé and not Ferrara in the event of a sale of Hershey.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/01/16/nestle-selling-its-u-s-candy-business-ferrero-2-9-b/1036675001/|title=Nestle is selling its U.S. candy business to Ferrero for about $2.8 billion|work=USA TODAY|access-date=17 January 2018|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116201658/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/01/16/nestle-selling-its-u-s-candy-business-ferrero-2-9-b/1036675001/|archive-date=16 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Bench King's Square York.jpg|thumb|Bench with Kit Kat advertising in [[York]] (where the bar was created) to mark National Chocolate Week in the UK in 2018]]
Variants in the traditional chocolate bar first appeared in 1996 when Kit Kat Orange, the first flavour variant, was introduced in the UK. Its success was followed by several varieties including mint and caramel, and in 1999 Kit Kat Chunky was launched and received favourably by international consumers. Variations on the traditional Kit Kat have continued to be developed since then. In 2000, Nestlé acquired Fujiya's share of the brand in Japan, and also expanded its marketplace in Japan, Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela, in addition to markets in Eastern and [[Central Europe]].<ref name="Kk1"/>  Throughout the decade, Kit Kat introduced dozens of flavours and line extensions within specific consumer markets. In September 2010, Kit Kat (and [[Aero (chocolate bar)|Aero]]) celebrated its 75th anniversary.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nestlé open days celebrate 75th anniversary of KitKat and Aero |url=https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/8415323.nestle-open-days-celebrate-75th-anniversary-of-kitkat-and-aero/ |access-date=24 November 2021 |work=York Press}}</ref> Nestlé stated, "Since that momentous day in 1935, Kit Kat has firmly established itself in British culture, spreading its chocolate fingers far and wide that is sold in more countries than any other chocolate brand".<ref>{{cite news |title=Nestlé celebrates the 75th year of KIT KAT  |url=https://www.nestle.co.uk/en-gb/media/pressreleases/nestlecelebratesthe75thyearofkitkat |access-date=24 November 2021 |work=Nestle}}</ref>

The traditional bar has four fingers which each measure approximately {{convert|1|cm|in|1}} by {{convert|9|cm|in|1}}. A two-finger bar was launched in the 1930s, and has remained the company's best-selling [[biscuit]] brand ever since.<ref name="professional"/>  The 1999 Kit Kat Chunky (known as Big Kat and Kit Kat Extra Crispy in the US) has one large finger approximately {{convert|2.5|cm|in|0}} wide. Kit Kat bars contain varying numbers of fingers depending on the market, ranging from the half-finger sized Kit Kat Petit in Japan, to the three-fingered variants in Arabia, and the twelve-finger family-size bars in Australia and France. Kit Kat bars are sold individually and in bags, boxes and multi-packs.

== Global confection ==
[[File:KitKat World Map.png|thumb|left|upright=1.3|Map of countries where Kit Kat is marketed. '''Dark Red''': UK (country of origin). '''Red''': Countries with KitKat products owned by Nestlé. '''Light Red''': Countries with KitKat products manufactured by Hershey (US).]]
Kit Kat bars are produced in 16 countries by Nestlé: Brazil, Mexico, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Russia, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, and Algeria. Kit Kat bars in the United States are produced under licence by The Hershey Company, a Nestlé competitor, due to a prior licensing agreement with Rowntree.
The year 2003 was a turning point for the Kit Kat bar as well as the confectionery industry in general. The popularity of [[low carb]] diets, and the push to healthier eating stifled sales growth in many parts of the world. In addition, fierce competition from [[Cadbury]]'s newly formed [[Cadbury Dairy Milk|Dairy Milk]] superbrand also contributed to Kit Kat sales decreasing considerably in its home market of the UK, and threatened to depose it from its No.1 position.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3560857.stm |title=Fat profits: Choc tactics |work=[[BBC News]] |date=24 March 2004 |access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3315183.stm |title=Consumers 'snub unhealthy brands' |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=[[BBC|British Broadcasting Corporation]] |location=London |date=13 December 2003 |access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref> The solution adopted by Nestlé and others was to increase dramatically the number of new and unique variations of their confections and market them as [[Special edition|limited or special editions]], usually only available for a few months at a time so as not lose sales of their standard products.<ref>{{cite news |last=Uhlig |first=Robert |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1454755/Cheesecake-Kit-Kat-Give-us-a-break.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1454755/Cheesecake-Kit-Kat-Give-us-a-break.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Cheesecake Kit Kat? Give us a break |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group|Telegraph Group]] |location=London |date=19 February 2004 |access-date=4 May 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The strategy initially reversed the decline of the Kit Kat<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.irn-talkingshop.co.uk/categorymanager/nestlerowntree/nestle%20temp/pressrelease/Lemon%20Yoghurt%20Boosts%20Kit%20Kat.pdf |title=Lemon Yoghurt Boosts Kit Kat }}{{Dead link|date=December 2010}}</ref> and has been adopted worldwide by Nestlé, [[Hershey Company|Hershey]], [[Mars Incorporated|Mars]], and others with similar success.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Business/story?id=950088& |title=Limited Editions Are Latest Candy Craze |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=18 July 2005 |access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Abelson |first=Jenn |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/05/02/limited_edition_candies_sweeten_the_marketplace/ |title=Limited-edition candies sweeten the marketplace |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]  |location=[[Boston]] |date=2 May 2005 |access-date=4 May 2013}}{{subscription required}}</ref> This has resulted in many new flavours and varieties of the Kit Kat and other confections appearing globally since then.

[[File:Japanese kit Kat varieties.jpg|thumb|upright|Kit Kat varieties on display in Osaka, Japan where the bar is seen as an "obsession"<ref name="NYTimes"/>]]

In September 2006, Nestlé announced that they would be cutting 645 jobs in their [[York]] factory and moving all [[Smarties]] production to their [[Hamburg]] factory, which had already made up for two-thirds of production. They stated that this move would allow for a £20 million investment to modernise the antiquated York factory and improve Kit Kat production.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2006/sep/21/food.foodanddrink |title=645 jobs lost as Nestlé ships Smarties abroad |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=21 September 2006 |access-date=14 July 2017}}</ref> In 2010, a new £5&nbsp;million manufacturing line was opened by Nestlé in York, to produce more than one billion Kit Kat bars each year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nestle.com/Media/NewsAndFeatures/Pages/Nestles-new-UK-wafer-line-part-of-three-year-GBP-15m-investment.aspx|title=Nestlé's new UK wafer line to boost Kit Kat production|publisher=[[Nestlé]]|date=20 December 2010|access-date=4 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102153816/http://www.nestle.com/Media/NewsAndFeatures/Pages/Nestles-new-UK-wafer-line-part-of-three-year-GBP-15m-investment.aspx|archive-date=2 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As [[Chocolate#Classification|dark chocolate]] has seen increased demand and favour worldwide because of its purported health benefits, in September 2006 the four-finger Kit Kat Fine Dark was launched in the United Kingdom as a permanent product. Hershey had sold the four-finger Kit Kat Dark in the US several years previously as a limited edition, and began doing so again.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thehersheycompany.com/contact-us/locate-hard-to-find-products.aspx |title=Hersheys Product Locator |publisher=[[The Hershey Company]] |access-date=6 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125135049/http://www.thehersheycompany.com/contact-us/locate-hard-to-find-products.aspx |archive-date=25 November 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Nestlé now manufactures two-finger Kit Kats with natural flavourings, and in February 2021 announced the rollout of the first vegan Kit Kat, called "KitKat V".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nestle.com/media/news/nestle-first-vegan-kitkat-coming-soon|title=Nestlé's first vegan KitKat is coming soon!|date=15 February 2021|website=Nestle|access-date=15 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Valinsky |first1=Jordan |title=Nestlé's newest KitKat is missing a key ingredient |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/16/business/vegan-kitkat-launch-trnd/index.html |access-date=17 March 2023 |work=CNN |date=16 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, Kit Kat was ranked the third best selling chocolate bar in the United Kingdom, after [[Cadbury Dairy Milk|Dairy Milk]] and [[Galaxy (chocolate)|Galaxy]].<ref>[http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/nations-favourite-chocolate-bars-revealed-7938048 "Top 10 selling chocolate bars in the UK"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205025032/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/nations-favourite-chocolate-bars-revealed-7938048 |date=5 December 2014 }}. Wales Online. Retrieved 28 December 2014.</ref>
Sometimes considered a [[biscuit]], in 2020 sales of Kit Kats were second to [[McVitie's]] biscuits in the UK in the biscuit category.<ref>{{cite news |title=Biscuits: Taste for nostalgia grows biccies |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/top-products/biscuits-top-products-report-2020/651364.article |access-date=26 August 2021 |work=The Grocer}}</ref>

== Design ==
When first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1935, the original Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp bar had a red wrapper, which briefly became blue between 1945 and 1947.<ref name="History"/> The Kit Kat logo was added in 1937.<ref name="History"/> As a result of milk shortages after the end of World War II – a period of [[rationing in the UK]] – dark chocolate was used instead of milk chocolate during that period.<ref name="History">{{cite news |title=History of Kit Kat |url=http://breakwithkitkat.weebly.com/history-of-kit-kat.html |access-date=4 August 2019 |agency=BreakwithKitKat.weebly}}</ref>
[[File:Kit Kat US 2024.svg|thumb|KitKat logo in the US as of March 2024]]
Since its introduction into the US in the 1970s, the Hershey's Kit Kat packaging and advertising has differed from the branding used in every other country where it was sold. In 2002, Hershey Kit Kats adopted the slanted [[ellipse]] logo used worldwide by Nestlé, though the ellipse was red and the text white. The US version of "Kit Kat Chunky" is known as "Big Kat".

In the United Kingdom, the product was traditionally wrapped in silver foil and an outer paper band. In 2001 this was changed to flow wrap [[plastic]].<ref>Suzy Bashford [http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/73773/brand-health-check-kit-kat---nestle-wise-repackage-kit-kat-kit-kat-shed-its-old-style-foil-paper-covering-flow-wrap-tear-strip-convince-consumers-right-move-asks-suzy-bashford "BRAND HEALTH CHECK: Kit kat"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194743/http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/article/73773/brand-health-check-kit-kat---nestle-wise-repackage-kit-kat-kit-kat-shed-its-old-style-foil-paper-covering-flow-wrap-tear-strip-convince-consumers-right-move-asks-suzy-bashford |date=29 October 2013 }}, ''Marketing'', 14 June 2001</ref> Foil and paper wrapping is still used for Kit Kats sold as part of a multipack. In 2020, Kit Kat won the Lausanne Index Prize - Best of Packaging.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.li-p.org/merit/en/kitkat-mini-the-sweetness-of-adults-strong-matcha|title= 2020 L.I.P. Best of Packaging - KitKat|access-date= 29 January 2021|archive-date= 2 February 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210202112217/https://www.li-p.org/merit/en/kitkat-mini-the-sweetness-of-adults-strong-matcha|url-status= dead}}</ref>

== Marketing and promotion ==
=== Advertising ===

[[File:Routemaster RML2573 (JJD 573D), Manchester Piccadilly, 4 February 2012.jpg|thumb|[[AEC Routemaster]] bus converted into a mobile radio station by [[Capital London]] with four varieties of Kit Kat advertised in [[Manchester]], England]]
After launching in the 1930s, [[Rowntree's]] Chocolate Crisp was originally advertised with the [[Advertising slogan|slogans]] "the biggest little meal" and "the perfect companion to a cup of [[tea]]".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Berry |first1=Steve |last2=Norman |first2=Phil |title=A History of Sweets in 50 Wrappers |date=2014 |publisher=[[The Friday Project]] |location=London |isbn=9780007575480 |pages=58–59}}</ref> During World War II, Kit Kat was depicted as a valuable wartime foodstuff, with the slogan "what active people need". The first Kit Kat poster appeared in 1951, and the brand made its first television appearance in a UK commercial in 1958.<ref name="First commercial"/><ref name="Slogan"/> The first colour TV advertisement appeared in 1969.<ref name="First commercial">{{cite news |title=Have a break, have a KitKat |url=https://www.nestle.com/sites/default/files/asset-library/documents/media/news-and-features/2010-october/kit-kat-full-circle-75.pdf |access-date=24 November 2021 |work=Nestle}}</ref>

Since 1957, the slogan for the Kit Kat in the UK and elsewhere has been "'''Have a break... have a Kit Kat'''".<ref name="Archive"/> However, in 1995, Nestlé sought to trademark the "Have a break" portion. After a ten-year legal battle, which was contested by rival Mars, the [[European Court of Justice]] ruled on 7 July 2005 to send the case back to the [[Courts of the United Kingdom|British courts]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/07/business/worldbusiness/07iht-nestle.html?_r=0|title= Kit Kat slogan dispute sent back to U.K. courts|newspaper=[[International Herald Tribune]]|location=[[La Défense]], France|date=8 July 2005|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> In 2004, Nestlé UK used the slogan "Make the most of your break",<ref>{{cite web|last=Marinovich|first=Slaven|url=http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=235|title=Kit Kat barred|work=Brand Channel|publisher=Interbrand|date=6 June 2005|access-date=5 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203013655/http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=235|archive-date=3 December 2013}}</ref> but later returned to the original slogan.

[[File:07 964 Praça do Comércio, ET 502.jpg|thumb|left|Kit Kat logo on a tram in Lisbon, Portugal]]
The United States also used the short-lived slogan, "Tastes So Good, You'll Roar", in the early 1980s. The TV commercial most known from this slogan involves a young man biting into one of the Kit Kat bars in a grocery store, and roaring like a lion so loudly the whole store shakes violently, knocking items from the shelves. Another short-lived US slogan was "That's What You Want", whose television adverts showed people pulling unlikely foodstuffs from their pockets or purses, before rejecting them in favour of a Kit Kat. The "classic" American version of the "Gimme a Break" Kit Kat [[jingle]] (in use in the US since 1986) was written by Ken Shuldman (copy) and [[Michael A. Levine]] (music) for the [[DDB Worldwide|DDB Advertising Agency]]. Versions of the original have been covered by [[Carrie Underwood]], [[Shawn Colvin]], and many studio singers, as well as people who have appeared on-camera in the commercials. The jingle was cited in a study by [[University of Cincinnati]] researcher James J. Kellaris as one of the top ten "[[earworm]]s" – bits of melody that become stuck in your head. Another version of the advertising jingle 'Gimme a break' created for Kit Kat "Factory" commercial in the US was an original recording by [[Andrew W.K.]] W.K. was hired to write a new musical version for their "Gimme a break" slogan. Variations on the Andrew W.K. advertisement included executive dance routines in corporate offices and a network newsroom. However, the "classic" song has also been used again since the newer version first aired in 2004.

Many adverts were worldwide hits among them in the 1980s with [[Ken Campbell]] in an advert with [[Heaven]] and [[Hell]] with [[Devil]] and [[Angel]] on Television. In Australia, TV ads for Kit Kat featured the classic children's show ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'', which played off the catchphrase "Thunderbirds Are Go" but instead sees one of the members enjoying a Kit Kat "Break." A 1989 UK television commercial for Kit Kat, in which a zoo photographer "takes a break" from waiting for pandas to appear in an enclosure and misses them performing a dance routine, came in 30th in [[Channel 4]]'s "[[The 100 Greatest TV Ads]]" poll in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/greatest_ads/|title=The 100 Greatest TV Ads|year=2000|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010618095141/http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/greatest_ads/|archive-date=18 June 2001|url-status=dead|access-date=6 December 2016}}</ref>

[[File:Bootham Crescent David Longhurst Stand 21-03-2009 1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Bootham Crescent]] was known as KitKat Crescent from 2004 to 2006.]]
In late 2004 through to the end of 2006, Nestlé Rowntree sponsored the English football club [[York City F.C.]] As a result, the club's home-ground, [[Bootham Crescent]], was renamed to KitKat Crescent.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_west/4352630.stm|title=City stadium takes sponsor's name|work=[[BBC News]]|location=London|date=18 October 2005|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> The Maltese tour boat [[HMS Greetham (M2632)|MV ''Lady Davinia'']] had a distinctive red and white Kit Kat paint scheme before she sank in 2008.

In a 2012 advertising campaign in the UK and Ireland, several new flavours of Chunky Kit Kat were marketed, with consumers being asked to vote for their favourite. Selecting from white chocolate, double chocolate, peanut butter, and orange, Peanut butter was the winner by having 47% of votes. A similar campaign occurred in 2013 with mint, coconut, [[hazelnut]] and chocolate fudge.

=== Association with Android ===
[[File:A Kitkat bar statue in Googleplex Headquarters.jpg|thumb|A Kit Kat bar statue at Googleplex Headquarters, United States]]

In September 2013, it was announced that [[Android KitKat|version 4.4]] of [[Google]]'s [[Android (operating system)|Android]] mobile operating system would be named "KitKat".<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.android.com/kitkat/|title = Android KitKat}}</ref> Google [[brand licensing|licensed]] the name from [[Nestlé]], with no money changing hands.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23926938|title=Android KitKat unveiled in Google surprise move|first=Leo|last=Kelion|work=[[BBC News Online]] |date=3 September 2013|access-date=4 September 2013|quote='This is not a money-changing-hands kind of deal,' John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships, told the BBC.}}</ref> A promotion ran in numerous countries with specially branded Android Kit Kat bars to win [[Nexus 7 (2013 version)|Nexus 7]] devices and [[Google Play Store]] credit.<ref name="versiondub">{{cite news|title=Google: Next Android mobile software version dubbed 'KitKat' |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/google-next-android-mobile-software-version-dubbed-kitkat/article5092030.ece |date=4 September 2013 |work=[[Business Line]] |location=Chennai |agency=[[Press Trust of India]] |access-date=4 February 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904053605/http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/info-tech/google-next-android-mobile-software-version-dubbed-kitkat/article5092030.ece|archive-date=4 September 2013}}</ref>

=== Fairtrade ===
In December 2009, it was announced that the four-finger variety of Kit Kat would use [[Fairtrade certification|Fairtrade]] chocolate (at least in Britain and Ireland) from January 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/6730155/Nestles-Kit-Kat-goes-Fairtrade.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/6730155/Nestles-Kit-Kat-goes-Fairtrade.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Nestlé's Kit Kat goes Fairtrade|last=Wallop|first=Harry|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group|Telegraph Group]]|location=London|date=7 December 2009|access-date=5 May 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The Fairtrade Kit Kat promotion was extended to the two-finger edition in January 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2009/dec/12/fair-trade-fairtrade-kitkat-farmers|title=Not so fair trade|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=[[Guardian Media Group|Guardian News & Media]]|last=Chambers|first=Andrew|date=12 December 2009|access-date=5 May 2013|location=London}}</ref>

In June 2020, Nestlé announced that KitKat was to end its relationship with the non-profit organisation, [[Fairtrade International|Fairtrade]], instead choosing to source its cocoa for KitKat chocolate bars from farms with a [[Rainforest Alliance]] accreditation.<ref>{{cite web|date=22 June 2020|title='Profoundly disappointing': KitKat cuts ties with Fairtrade|url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/23/profoundly-disappointing-kitkat-cuts-ties-with-fairtrade|access-date=13 December 2020|website=The Guardian}}</ref>

=== Golden ticket draw ===
In the first three weeks of ''[[Big Brother 2006 (UK)|Big Brother Series 7]]'' in the UK, Channel 4 conducted a promotion in conjunction with Nestlé to distribute 100 "golden tickets" randomly throughout Kit Kats, in a style reminiscent of the ''[[Charlie and the Chocolate Factory]]'' story.<ref>{{cite news |title=Draw to win place in Big Brother house broke the rules but wasn't fixed, says watchdog |author-first1=David|author-last1=Derbyshire|date=13 September 2006|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1528714/Draw-to-win-place-in-Big-Brother-house-broke-the-rules-but-wasnt-fixed-says-watchdog.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1528714/Draw-to-win-place-in-Big-Brother-house-broke-the-rules-but-wasnt-fixed-says-watchdog.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=5 February 2020 |work=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Members of the public finding these tickets were permitted to use them to give themselves a chance to become a ''Big Brother'' housemate and bypass the standard auditions process.

Golden ticket holders were invited to a television show where one of them, [[Susie Verrico]], was chosen to enter the House by [[Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace]], picking a ball out of a machine at random. This contest caused some controversy, with the [[Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)|Advertising Standards Authority]] saying that the terms and conditions of the draw should have been made clearer in related advertisements, and that an independent adjudicator should have been present before and during the draw.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/news/entertainment_3c26360018cbcc12d9c89259fbfc6132.html |title=Big Brother contest slammed again |access-date=11 October 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091353/http://www.itv.com/news/entertainment_3c26360018cbcc12d9c89259fbfc6132.html |archive-date=29 September 2007 }}</ref>

== Varieties ==
=== Flavours ===
[[File:Kit Kat Matcha-9136.jpg|thumb|Kit Kat Matcha sold in Japan]]
Many varieties of Kit Kat have existed, either permanently or as limited editions, such as those sold to commemorate festivals such as [[Valentine's Day]].<ref name="VD"/> In Japan, Nestlé has introduced over 300 different flavours since 2000,<ref name="CNN Eatocracy">{{cite web|last1=Irvine|first1=Dean|title=How did Kit Kat become king of candy in Japan?|url=http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/02/02/how-did-kit-kat-became-king-of-candy-in-japan/?hpt=hp_bn8|website=Eatocracy at CNN|publisher=CNN|access-date=10 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208054752/http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/02/02/how-did-kit-kat-became-king-of-candy-in-japan/?hpt=hp_bn8|archive-date=8 February 2016|date=2 February 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="cnn">{{cite news|url=http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/02/02/how-did-kit-kat-became-king-of-candy-in-japan/?hpt=hp_bn8|title=How did Kit Kat become king of candy in Japan?|last=Ivine|first=Dean|work=cnn.com|publisher=[[CNN|Cable News Network]]|date=2 February 2013|access-date=5 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160208054752/http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/02/02/how-did-kit-kat-became-king-of-candy-in-japan/?hpt=hp_bn8|archive-date=8 February 2016}}</ref> including [[hot sauce]], [[soy sauce]], [[wasabi]], [[apple cider vinegar]], [[Zunda-mochi|zunda]], [[Ice cream]], [[milk tea]], and [[Throat lozenge|cough drop]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-08 |title=Japanese Kit Kat Flavors: The Complete List |url=https://www.japancandystore.com/blogs/okashi/kit-kat-flavors |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=Japan Candy Store |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126515207 | title=Kit Kat Kaleidoscope: Far-Out Flavours From Japan|work=npr.com|publisher=[[NPR]]|location=Washington, D.C.|date=10 May 2010|access-date=5 May 2013|last=Chappell|first=Bill}}</ref> They have even introduced a range that require baking in an oven. The flavours are designed to appeal to younger buyers,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/1482614/Exam-fever-gives-Japan-a-craving-for-Kit-Kat.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/1482614/Exam-fever-gives-Japan-a-craving-for-Kit-Kat.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Exam fever gives Japan a craving for Kit Kat|last=Ryall|first=Julian|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|publisher=[[Telegraph Media Group|Telegraph Group]]|location=London|date=2 February 2005|access-date=5 May 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and are often bought as good-luck gifts as the brand name echoes the [[Japanese language|Japanese]] phrase "Kitto Katsu", roughly translating as "surely win."<ref name="cnn"/>
The Kit Kat Orange was the first flavour variant to be introduced in the United Kingdom, in 1996 and 1998 in Ireland. It was followed in 1997 by the Kit Kat Dark and Kit Kat Mint. All three were available as permanent editions of the two-finger multipack in the United Kingdom, along with the Kit Kat Original, the Kit Kat White, and from 2012 the Kit Kat Cookies & Cream. There has also been Kit Kat Caramel.

A wide variety of promotional items exist, ranging from traditional merchandise (such as mugs, pens, oven gloves and tea-towels) to less common items such as coats for small dogs. In Japan, Kit Kats have come packaged with CD singles, and a special limited edition double pack of Kit Kat Crispy Monogatari came bundled with a mini book featuring six short stories, one of which was written by [[Koji Suzuki (writer)|Koji Suzuki]], author of the [[Ring (Suzuki novel)|''Ring'' cycle]] series. In Japan, Kit Kats are also available in jars that are dispensed from vending machines.

Kit Kat introduced two new flavours to the United States in 2020: Lemon Crisp and Raspberry Creme. The new flavours are available in regular sized bars or miniature bars.<ref name="VD">[https://www.insider.com/kit-kat-new-flavors-lemon-crisp-raspberry-creme-2020-1 “Kit Kat is releasing new lemon crisp and raspberry creme flavors for Valentine's Day”] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227124938/https://www.insider.com/kit-kat-new-flavors-lemon-crisp-raspberry-creme-2020-1 |date=27 December 2022 }}. Insider.com. Retrieved 5 February 2020</ref> In 2020, Nestlé launched a new flavor, Scotch whisky KitKats, available only in Japan using chocolate aged for six months in whisky barrels in Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|author=Rob Picheta|title=You can now get Scotch whisky KitKats -- but only in Japan|url=https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/kitkat-scotch-whisky-japan-scli-intl-gbr/index.html|access-date=14 December 2020|website=CNN|date=14 December 2020 }}</ref> In February 2021, the company announced it will be launching a [[Veganism|vegan]], [[dairy-free]] version of their popular KitKat product. The bar will be called KitKat V and it will be available in select countries in late 2021 and then expand worldwide.<ref>{{cite news |last=Valinsky |first=Jordan |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/16/business/vegan-kitkat-launch-trnd/index.html |title=Nestlé's newest KitKat is missing a key ingredient |work=[[CNN]] |date=16 February 2021 |accessdate=16 February 2021 }}</ref>

=== Forms ===
[[File:Kit-Kat-Type-Variations.jpg|thumb|280px|Kit Kat varieties: Pop Choc, regular and Chunky (or Big Kat)]]
The 'standard' Kit Kat finger bars can come in a variety of presentations and nutritional values. The bars can come in a miniature form of two finger mini bars, or a larger standard four, or in some cases, three, fingered bars.

Originally, each finger was imprinted with the name 'Rowntree' in script form, but this was subsequently changed to Kit Kat and remains so to this day.
The standard size has been upgraded in several cases up to a 'monster Size' bar, which can include up to five or eight fingers. Large single-fingered "Chunky Kit Kats" were launched in the United Kingdom in 1998 and have been sold in a variety of flavours, such as White Chocolate, Caramel, Hazelnut Cream, and Peanut Butter. The market for Chunky Kit Kats has also expanded to Canada.

[[Image:Kit Kat Ruby.jpg|thumb|left|Pink coloured Kit Kat Ruby]]
Other forms and shapes include "Choc'n'Go" individually wrapped fingers in France, a twelve-finger "Family Block" available in New Zealand<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nestle.co.nz/brands/kit-kat |title=KIT KAT |website=Nestlé New Zealand|access-date= 15 November 2018}}</ref> and Australia, round bite-sized "Pop Choc" pieces, square "Kubes", [[Praline (nut confection)|praline]]-filled "Senses", a yoghurt with Kit Kat pieces, and a Kit Kat [[ice cream cone]].

In the 1980s, a Kit Kat with five shorter fingers was sold in vending machines in the UK.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://benviveur.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/tuck-off.html |title=Ben Viveur: Tuck Off|publisher=Ben Viveur|date=21 June 2014|access-date=25 June 2014}}</ref> The Japanese ''Bake 'N Tasty Mini Kit Kats Custard Pudding Flavour'' was launched in 2014. The bar must be baked in an oven before consumption, and the surface sugar caramelises in the process.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lam|first=Charles|title=Kit Kats You Can Bake Coming to.. Japan|url=http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2014/03/kit_kats_you_can_bake_coming_t.php|publisher=ocweekly.com|access-date=15 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315231430/http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2014/03/kit_kats_you_can_bake_coming_t.php|archive-date=15 March 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2015, a new luxury and giftable variant of Kit Kat called Kit Kat Rubies was launched in Malaysia. Comes with the box of 20 small bars, the Kit Kat Rubies bar made with the premium chocolate truffle cream and imported roasted hazelnut pieces.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tey|first=Kelly|title=Rolling out delicious 'rubies'|url=http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Community/2015/01/03/Rolling-out-delicious-rubies-Brands-latest-offering-perfect-for-gifting/|publisher=thestar.com.my|date=3 January 2015|access-date=5 March 2015}}</ref>

As of 2017, US variants include the standard and king-size four-finger bars, standard bars covered with white or dark chocolate, snack-size orange-covered bars for Halloween (sold until 2021 and replaced with Breaking Bones starting in 2022), bagged wrapped one-finger miniatures (original and assorted), unwrapped minis, a redesigned Big Kat, and a king-size Big Kat (two of the then-new Big Kat bars).<ref>{{cite web|title=Kit Kat Products|url=https://www.hersheys.com/kitkat/en_us/products.html|publisher=Hershey.com|access-date=27 January 2017}}</ref>

A Kit Kat [[breakfast cereal]] was launched in the United Kingdom in 2023.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Ian |title=Nestlé withdraws 'nutritious' claim in row with Henry Dimbleby over Kit Kat Cereal |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/hfss/nestle-withdraws-nutritious-claim-in-row-with-henry-dimbleby-over-kit-kat-cereal/678914.article |date= 4 May 2023 |access-date=27 July 2023 |work=The Grocer |language=en}}</ref>

== Chocolatory ==
[[File:Kit Kat Store Sydney.jpg|thumb|Kit Kat Chocolatory in [[Sydney]], Australia]]
Kit Kat has opened a Chocolatory in the [[Melbourne Central Shopping Centre]] in [[Melbourne]], Australia. There was also one in Sydney, however this was closed June 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 October 2024 |title=Chocolatory webshop will be closing on June 20th, 2024 |url=https://www.kitkat.com.au/chocolatory-webshop-closing |access-date=23 October 2024 |website=Kit Kat}}</ref> The shops allow customers to use touch screens to create their own Kit Kat from a selection of chocolates and ingredients; they are made while the customers wait, and customers can mix their own flavours with some Kit Kat that has been provided in store.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.kitkat.com.au/|title=KitKat – The Home of KitKat Chocolatory|website=www.kitkat.com.au}}</ref>

There are similar locations in Brazil, Japan and Canada.

== Criticisms and controversies ==
In March 2010, Kit Kat was targeted for a boycott by [[Greenpeace]] for using [[palm oil]], which the environmental organisation claimed resulted in destruction of forest habitats for [[orangutan]]s in Indonesia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-poynton/dancing-with-devils_b_837442.html|title=Dancing With Devils |last=Poynton|first=Scott|work=[[The Huffington Post]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|location=New York|date=18 March 2011|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> A [[YouTube (channel)|YouTube]] video by Greenpeace went [[Viral video|viral]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/03/19/indonesia.rainforests.orangutan.nestle/index.html?_s=PM:WORLD|title=Greenpeace, Nestlé in battle over Kit Kat viral|last=Armstrong|first=Paul|work=cnn.com |publisher=[[CNN|Cable News Network]]|date=2 March 2013|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref> and Nestlé announced a partnership with The Forest Trust to establish "responsible sourcing guidelines" and ensure that its products did not have a deforestation footprint. They aimed to achieve a fully sustainable method of palm oil harvesting by 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nestle.com/Media/Statements/Pages/Update-on-deforestation-and-palm-oil.aspx|title=Nestlé committed to traceable sustainable palm oil to ensure no-deforestation|publisher=[[Nestlé]]|date=30 October 2012|access-date=5 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102152229/http://www.nestle.com/Media/Statements/Pages/Update-on-deforestation-and-palm-oil.aspx|archive-date=2 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Nestlé stated that 58% of palm oil purchased in 2017 was certified responsibly sourced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nestle.com/csv/raw-materials/palm-oil |title=Palm oil|publisher=[[Nestlé]]|date=2018|access-date=11 November 2018}}</ref>  By 2023 the figure was 100% with 96% being [[deforestation]] free.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nestle.com/csv/raw-materials/palm-oil |title=Palm oil|publisher=[[Nestlé]]|date=2024|access-date=4 May 2024}}</ref> In 2025, [[Free Papua Movement|West Papuan]] indigenous people called for a boycott of Kit Kat and other brands over alleged [[Ecocide|ecocide]] in their territory.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gayle |first=Damien |date=2025-03-20 |title=West Papuan Indigenous people call for KitKat boycott over alleged ecocide |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/20/west-papua-indonesia-palm-oil-deforestation-rainforest |access-date=2025-03-25 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

== Ingredients ==
Kit Kat filling was revealed to be (or at least contain) crushed up Kit Kat, in [[BBC Two]]'s ''[[Inside the Factory]]''.<ref>[https://www.usmagazine.com/food/news/kit-kats-have-a-surprising-ingredient-in-their-filling/#:~:text=As%20it%20turns%20out%2C%20a,filled%20with%20other%20Kit%20Kats "What’s Actually in a Kit Kat? The Candy Bars Have a Surprising Ingredient in Their Filling"]. ''Us'' magazine. Retrieved 26 May 2024</ref>

Original Kit Kat ingredients unless otherwise stated, listed by decreasing weight: milk chocolate ([[sugar]], milk ingredients, [[cocoa butter]], [[cocoa mass]], [[Whey|whey powder]], [[lactose]], [[Soybean|soya]] [[lecithin]], [[polyglycerol polyricinoleate]], natural flavour), [[wheat flour]], sugar, modified [[palm oil]], [[Cocoa bean|cocoa]], [[sodium bicarbonate]], soya lecithin, [[Baker's yeast|yeast]],  and natural flavour.

=== Europe ===
Milk chocolate (66%) (sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, dried [[whole milk]], cocoa mass, lactose and proteins from whey, whey powder, [[Emulsion|emulsifier]] (sunflower lecithin), butterfat, flavouring), wheat flour, sugar, vegetable fat, cocoa mass, yeast, [[leavening agent|raising agent]] (sodium bicarbonate), salt, [[emulsifier]] (soya lecithin), flavourings.

In 2006, the UK four-finger Kit Kat contained 233 dietary [[calorie]]s (kcal) (975 [[kilojoule]]s). In 2009, the two-finger Kit Kat contained 107 calories.

In 2013, the UK Kit Kat Chunky contained 247 calories which reduced to 207 calories in 2015. This correlated to a reduction in weight by 19% from 48&nbsp;g to 40&nbsp;g.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kitkat.co.uk/kitkatcollection|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130707050126/http://www.kitkat.co.uk/kitkatcollection|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 July 2013|title=KIT KAT Collection|publisher=[[Nestlé]]|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.easier.com/29099-a-low-calorie-treat-from-kitkat.html|title=A low calorie treat from KitKat|publisher=Easier|date=16 January 2008|access-date=5 May 2013}}</ref>

=== United States ===
Hershey's Kit Kat Crisp Wafers in Chocolate contain sugar, wheat flour, cocoa butter, nonfat milk, chocolate, refined [[palm kernel oil]], lactose (milk), milk fat, contains 2% or less of: soy lecithin, [[Polyglycerol polyricinoleate|PGPR]] (emulsifier), yeast, artificial flavor, salt, and [[sodium]] bicarbonate.

=== Canada ===
Milk chocolate (sugar, milk ingredients, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, whey powder, lactose, soya lecithin, polyglycerol polyricinoleate, natural flavour), wheat flour, sugar, modified palm oil, cocoa, sodium bicarbonate, soya lecithin, yeast, natural flavour.

Dark chocolate: cocoa mass, sugar, wheat flour, palm kernel, palm, [[coconut]] and vegetable oils, modified milk ingredients, cocoa butter, sunflower and soy lecithins, yeast, sodium bicarbonate, [[Calcium sulfate|calcium sulphate]], salt, protease, xylanase, natural flavours.

=== Asia ===
[[File:HK CWB 銅鑼灣 Causeway Bay 羅素街 Russell Street Times Square pop-up stall Kit Kat February 2022 Px3 01.jpg|thumb|right|Kit Kat pop-up stall in [[Times Square (Hong Kong)|Times Square, Hong Kong]] in 2022]]
In Japan, Kit Kats are produced at Nestlé-owned factories in [[Himeji]] and [[Kasumigaura, Ibaraki|Kasumigaura]].  The milk chocolate used for Kit Kats is made from whole-milk powder and Nestlé buys most of its cacao beans from West Africa.<ref name=Rao>{{citation |last=Rao |first= Tejal |title=Big in Japan: the story of how Kit Kats became a booming business from Hokkaido to Tokyo and changed expectations about what a candy bar could be. | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 October 2018|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/24/magazine/candy-kit-kat-japan.html}}</ref>

Nestlé has factories in various locations in China, to supply to China and [[Hong Kong]]. During the [[2008 Chinese milk scandal]], where [[melamine]] was found to have tainted some milk suppliers in China, importers in [[Hong Kong]] chose to import bars manufactured in the United Kingdom.

== See also ==
* [[Kit Kats in Japan]]
* [[Kvikk Lunsj]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
* {{official website}}

{{Nestlé}}
{{Hershey}}
{{Rowntree's}}

[[Category:Biscuit brands]]
[[Category:British confectionery]]
[[Category:Nestlé brands]]
[[Category:The Hershey Company brands]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1935]]
[[Category:Rowntree's brands]]
[[Category:Yorkshire cuisine]]
[[Category:Chocolate bars]]
[[Category:Brand name confectionery]]