JAPAN | An outbreak of littering and food wastage was the response to a highly popular Pokémon Happy Meal campaign from McDonald's.
McDonald’s Japan has cancelled its Happy Meal campaign featuring Pokémon cards, which resulted in a mass wastage of food.
The ‘Happy Sets’, as they are known in Japan, were designed for children. The ‘toy’ component were highly sought-after Pokémon cards, which resellers and collectors avidly snatched up. The meals also included a physical plastic toy of various Pokémon characters, such as Pikachu.
Japanese media reported that the Happy Sets sold out in a day.
As a consequence, piles of rubbish were found near McDonald’s restaurants across the country.
Responding to the issue, McDonald’s Japan said that wasting food and littering were not something the fast food giant condoned.
"We do not believe in abandoning and discarding food. This situation goes against our long-time philosophy that we have cherished as a restaurant to 'offer a fun dining experience for children and families'. We sincerely accept that our preparations had not been adequate," the company said in a statement.
McDonald’s Japan said it has now implemented procedures to prevent such occurrences from repeating, such as limiting the number of meals each person can buy and ending online orders. The restaurant chain added that it may even decline to serve customers who do not abide by the rules.
"We vow to return to the basics of what lies behind the Happy Set, which is about helping to bring smiles to families so we can contribute to the wholesome development of the hearts and bodies of children, who are our future."
The Pokémon Happy Set promotion was forced to end following the events of littering and wasting food. Resale of the Pokémon cards online has proven popular among collectors, with some cards being resold for up to tens of thousands of yen.
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