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China is urging consumers to boycott a promotion offered by KFC and toy retailer Pop Mart (9992), saying it encourages food waste.

The promotion was cited yesterday as the latest example of a foreign brand running into trouble in mainland.

The China Consumers Association said one person bought 106 meals, spending nearly 10,500 yuan (HK$12,850) to get an entire collection of toys.

Others paid people to eat extra meals they purchased in the week since the promotion started, it added, while some just threw the food away.

"As a food retailer, KFC has induced and encouraged irrational buying of excessive meals," said the association, a national organization overseen by the government. "This is in violation of morals and norms as well as the spirit of the law."

A poster of the promotion on the Weibo service shows the KFC-themed dolls are intended to mark the fast food giant's 35th year in China.

And shares of Yum China (9987), operator of KFC, were up 0.9 percent while Pop Mart shares added 7.2 percent.

President Xi Jinping's administration launched a campaign in 2020 to cut down on food waste - a move that spurred speculation over the country's ability to feed its 1.4 billion citizens. But authorities later stressed the nation had ample food reserves.

A fan bought 106 meals to get an entire collection of toys. SING TAO

Fast-food promo condemned as exercise in waste