(Yicai Global) Jan. 12 -- US fast-food giant KFC has been denounced by the China Consumers Association for offering free limited-edition toys with its boxes of fried chicken that are causing people to purchase excessive amounts of food that they are unable to consume.

As a fast-food chain operator, KFC China uses limited-edition ‘blind’ boxes, or boxes with the same exterior packaging but different contents, as a promotional means to lure consumers to purchase food packages in unreasonable quantities, which goes against public order, good business practices and the spirit of law, the CCA said today.

KFC has teamed up with Chinese toy vendor Pop Mart to mark its 35th anniversary in China this year and is offering mystery boxes containing Pop Mart’s Dimoo miniature figurines with KFC meals. At least six meals must be purchased to get a full set of the collector's items, but some characters only appear in one out of 72 meals.

To get all the figurines in the set, some consumers spent CNY10,494 (USD1,648) in one go on 106 boxes of chicken. Some hired people to help them eat the meals, while others just threw the food straight into the trash.

KFC’s meals must be eaten quickly and cannot be stored for later consumption. The limited-edition boxes lead to ‘hunger marketing’ which causes consumers to make impulse purchases and overbuy the perishable product, leading to food waste, the CCA said.

Pop Mart’s share price [HKG:9992] closed up 7.17 percent at HKD48.55 (USD6.20) today. While KFC operator Yum! Brands [NYSE:YUM] closed down 2.10 percent at USD130.66.

Editor: Kim Taylor