The store had a promotion, customers came to buy and then left food piled up in front of the door.

(Dan Tri) - McDonald's fast food chain in Japan has just been forced to cancel its Happy Meal program, after many people bought it just to get special Pokémon cards and then threw away the entire meal right in front of the store.

According to the AP news agency, the Happy Meal (or Happy Set) program was originally designed for children. Each meal included food, a small plastic toy like Pikachu and a limited edition Pokémon card. However, this campaign quickly "sold out" within just one day.

Images circulating on social media show large amounts of food left outside McDonald's stores, causing outrage among the Japanese public, a country known for its public hygiene.

Unused fast food bags are thrown on the street (Photo: @houjosouun/Straits Times).

In a statement released on August 11, McDonald's Japan admitted: "We do not believe in abandoning or throwing away food. This situation goes against the philosophy that we have always held dear: Providing a fun dining experience for children and families. We solemnly admit that this preparation was not enough."

According to CNN , the fast food company said it is researching measures to prevent similar situations from happening again, such as limiting the number of servings each customer can buy, ending online ordering, and even refusing to serve customers who do not comply with regulations.

“We are committed to returning to the core values of Happy Set, which is to bring smiles to families, contributing to the healthy physical and mental development of children, the future owners,” the announcement said.

Crowds of people jostle to buy Happy Sets to collect Pokémon cards (Photo: @houjosouun/Straits Times).

According to CBS News , collecting Pokémon cards has long been popular with both children and adults around the world . Some rare cards even resell for more than $1,000.

In Japan alone, after the Happy Set with cards went on sale, an unusually large number of customers flocked to McDonald's. Soon after, Pokémon cards were sold online for tens of thousands of yen (millions of dong).

McDonald's has been rolling out Happy Meals globally for over 40 years. In Japan, a Happy Set typically costs around 510 yen (about 100,000 VND).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/cua-hang-ra-khuyen-mai-khach-keo-den-mua-roi-vut-do-an-chat-dong-truoc-cua-20250816215237588.htm