BAD HERSFELD, GERMANY (AFP) - Thieves in Germany have made off with a truckload of Nutella, stealing five tonnes of the hazelnut chocolate spread from a parked semi-trailer, police said on Monday.

The theft of seven palettes of Nutella jars, worth a total of about 16,000 euros (S$25,850), took place at the weekend in the city of Niederaula in the central state of Hesse, said police.

Thieves in the region have previously stolen other large quantities of food products, including five tonnes of coffee worth 30,000 euros taken in March and 34,000 cans of an energy drink in August.

The site of the thefts, northeast of Frankfurt, is near a road transport hub where truck drivers living in the region tend to park their lorries at weekends, said a police spokesman.