McDonald’s in South Korea has suspended sales of its limited-edition Chungju corn cheese croquette burger after receiving multiple customer complaints about small stones being found in the product, cutting short a promotional campaign for one of its fastest-selling seasonal menu items.
The company halted sales of the latest menu item in its Taste of Korea campaign on Thursday, nearly two weeks before its scheduled end on August 12.
“There were complaints that customers bit into stones, and this is an issue related to safety,” a McDonald’s Korea official said. “So, considering customer safety, McDonald’s took the pre-emptive measure of ending sales early.”
The burger, launched on July 9 as the sixth menu item under the fast-food company’s Taste of Korea campaign, surpassed 1 million units in sales within two weeks of its release.
Launched to mark the fifth anniversary of the campaign, the burger featured a mozzarella cheese croquette made with waxy corn from Chungju, North Chungcheong province.
McDonald’s Korea said the menu was created in collaboration with Chungju and used about 25 tonnes of locally produced corn to support regional farmers.