A tanker carrying tons of liquid chocolate crashed Wednesday, spilling chocolate across a highway in western Poland. All four lanes of the highway connecting the cities of Poznan and Warsaw were covered in chocolate, bringing traffic to a halt. The truck was carrying 12 tons of chocolate, which seeped across the highway and quickly began to solidify in the mild spring weather.
The tanker filled with chocolate crashed into the middle highway barrier around 5:30 am. It is not yet clear why the truck flipped in the first place, but unfortunately for drivers the chocolate immediately started to harden across the highway.
A spokesperson for the local police said, “In unknown circumstances the driver of a heavy goods vehicle transporting a liquid in the form of chocolate hit a barrier, as a result of which the substance spilled out onto two lanes.” Video footage from the event clearly shows that the chocolate eventually spread across all lanes of the highway.
Videos show the tanker laying on its side across the highway middle partition. Local authorities ensured the mess would be cleaned up within a few hours so normal traffic could resume.
Frustrated drivers were unsure why they were not allowed to drive through the chocolate. According to authorities, the chocolate presents a worse driving hazard than snow. Firefighters from the nearby town of Slupca struggled to come up with a quick way to remove the chocolate. A few different techniques were used to attempt to clear up the chocolate. Firefighters were seen spraying the road with hot water to melt the chocolate away. A bulldozer was also used, attempting to push the hard chocolate off of the road.
The driver, 60, sustained minor injuries. He is currently receiving medical attention for a broken arm. No other vehicles were involved in the crash and no one besides the driver was injured.
Infamous Candy Spills
The 12 tons of chocolate covering the highway in Poland isn’t the first time candy spilled across a highway.
Last January, thousands of Skittles spilled on a road in Wisconsin. “There’s no little ‘S’ on them, but you can definitely smell, it’s a distinct Skittles smell,” Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt told WISN. Authorities said the mysterious Skittles were a blessing as the roads had been too slick with ice to drive on. The Skittle provided traction for drivers.
The story actually revealed a deeper, and terrifying truth about food in America. With more than 100 million adults in the US living with diabetes or prediabetes, the amount of sugar consumed on a daily basis seems disturbing enough.
The Skittles seemed to appear out of nowhere, but they actually fell off the back of a truck. The truck was loaded with Skittles that were to be used in cattle feed. As it turns out, bakeries and candy manufacturers have been selling their leftover sweets to factory farms for years as a cheap way to fatten cattle.
Locals were outraged to hear that cattle, which evolved to eat only grass, are being fed candy instead.
One local wrote on Facebook, “Absolutely gross! Why are we ok with feeding cows Skittles to fatten them up. Know where your meat comes from people. I hope you’re all learned something from this.”
Last August, Arkansas highways saw a variety of food spills. In one incident, a truck driver overcorrected on a turn while distracted by his GPS. After rolling across the centerline of the highway, the truck spilled spaghetti sauce all over the road.
Earlier that month, a tanker filled with bourbon crashed on the highway, forcing drivers to clear the road. A few days later, a truck filled with frozen pizzas crashed, littering the highways with pizza.
Food and candy spilled across the highway may sound like any little kids dream, but for drivers, the traffic delays are a nightmare.
