McDonald’s Japan has scrapped a three-day Happy Set promotion that bundled limited-edition Pokémon trading cards after the giveaway was overwhelmed by adult collectors and resellers. The campaign, which began on 9 August and was scheduled to run through Japan’s 11 August public holiday, ended within 24 hours when most restaurants exhausted their card supplies despite a five-meal-per-customer cap. Customers seeking the highly coveted cards bought dozens of meals, then discarded the food in and around stores, prompting reports of mounds of untouched burgers and fries and drawing police to several outlets. Second-hand listings for the exclusive cards quickly appeared online for up to tens of thousands of yen, far above the 510-yen (about $3.40) price of a Happy Set. In a statement issued on 12 August, McDonald’s apologised for its “insufficient preparations” and said the incident violated its long-standing commitment to discourage food waste. The company said it is considering tighter countermeasures, including lower per-customer limits, ending online orders during similar events and denying service to patrons who attempt bulk purchases.