A television commercial featuring a woman hitting her boyfriend in the crotch with a large bag is to be investigated by the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority.
The McDonald's commercial, screened on ATV and TVB, then shows the man collapsing in agony, clutching his groin. The woman hits him after she remembers a time when he stole her french fries.
McDonald's said while it had not received a formal, written complaint, it was aware of public concerns after a viewer phoned the company.
The commercial, made by advertising agency Leo Burnett, had been re-edited after its initial screening on August 2, a McDonald's spokeswoman said.
'The message intended to convey the craving people could have for McDonald's french fries,' she said. 'It was made for teens.' After receiving the telephone complaint, McDonald's 'toned down the slap, the sound effect and cut some of the shots', she said.
The commercial now only retains one shot of a pained expression on the man's face and ends with him wearing 'a warm and sweet expression'.