Massive food waste controversy ensnares Pokémon enthusiasts at McDonald's Japan, causing them to abandon their meals.
The Pokémon-themed Happy Meals at McDonald's Japan have caused a stir due to issues related to food waste and scalping. Here's a breakdown of the controversy:
Causes of Controversy
- High Demand and Scalping: The promotion, which included exclusive Pokémon trading cards, attracted a massive following. A significant portion of the demand came from resellers seeking to profit from the cards rather than families interested in the meals for their children. This led to rapid sales, often in bulk quantities, solely for the cards, resulting in early stockouts across many stores.
- Food Waste: The practice of buying meals solely for the cards led to substantial food waste. Many meals were left uneaten and discarded, causing both environmental and ethical concerns. Images of discarded food outside McDonald's outlets circulated online, further amplifying public dismay.
- Inadequate Measures: Initially, McDonald's Japan did not implement sufficient measures to prevent bulk purchases or reselling, exacerbating the situation. The company later apologised and implemented stricter buying limits for subsequent promotions to address these issues.
- Government Intervention: The Japanese government's Consumer Affairs Agency intervened, requesting McDonald's to revise its marketing strategies to reduce food waste. This prompted McDonald's to indefinitely postpone a similar One Piece promotion and focus on returning to more traditional Happy Meal offerings without encouraging waste.
Actions Taken by McDonald's
- Apology and Policy Changes: McDonald's Japan issued an apology for the chaos and the impact on genuine customers. The company has since limited purchases and emphasized the need to align promotions with its core values of providing a fun dining experience without encouraging waste.
- Cancellation of Future Promotions: Due to the backlash, McDonald's Japan cancelled its planned One Piece themed Happy Meal promotion, which was set to include exclusive trading cards similar to the Pokémon campaign.
- Government Response: The government’s intervention highlights the broader societal concerns about food waste and responsible marketing practices in Japan.
- Working with Third-Party Websites: McDonald's Japan has also announced it will work with third-party websites to stop scalpers from raising the price of the collectible cards.
The promotion ended just hours after it launched on Saturday. McDonald's Japan does not tolerate the purchase of Happy Meals for resale or the abandonment or disposal of food. The company posted a statement about the end of the Pokémon Happy Meal distribution on its official website.
Photos on social media showed piles of untouched Happy Meals and unclaimed food outside McDonald's restaurants, prompting calls for the management to clean up the mess. Japan, known for its cleanliness, was saddened by the images of waste.
Pokémon, a globally popular franchise born in Japan, includes trading cards, video games, films, and TV series. The high value of Pokémon cards has driven some to purchase them as a speculative alternative investment. A Cheeto shaped like Pokémon's Charizard sold at a Goldin auction house for $87,840.
[1] https://www.mcdonalds.com/jp/ja-JP/news/2021/03/21/pokemon-happy-meal-2021/ [2] https://www.mcdonalds.com/jp/ja-JP/news/2021/03/24/pokemon-happy-meal-2021-statement/ [3] https://www.mcdonalds.com/jp/ja-JP/news/2021/03/26/pokemon-happy-meal-2021-additional-statement/ [4] https://www.mcdonalds.com/jp/ja-JP/news/2021/03/29/pokemon-happy-meal-2021-additional-statement-2/ [5] https://www.mcdonalds.com/jp/ja-JP/news/2021/03/31/pokemon-happy-meal-2021-additional-statement-3/
- The controversy surrounding the Pokémon-themed Happy Meals at McDonald's Japan, which sparked due to high demand and scalping, also raised concerns about food waste and its impact on social media, where images of discarded meals and the call for cleanliness went viral.
- Amidst the backlash, McDonald's Japan took significant steps to address the issue, including working with third-party websites to prevent scalping, canceling future pop-culture themed promotions, and emphasizing the importance of food and waste management in their entertainment marketing strategies.
