The price of one of Hong Kong's favourite foods - the McDonald's Big Mac - has been pushed up by more than 10 per cent in a year after a three-year price freeze.
An average four per cent increase in prices on Sunday came on top of price increases in August last year and April this year. A Big Mac meal now costs $19.60 - 10.1 per cent more than a year ago.
McDonald's described the price rises as 'strategic commercial decisions' and said it had held off putting up prices during the Asian economic crisis of 1997 onwards.
McDonald's has 158 restaurants in Hong Kong and serves an average of 500,000 customers a day. The price of a McCrispy Chicken Fillet Burger Meal went up 5.1 per cent in the latest rise - from $19.30 to $20.30 - and by 9.7 per cent since August. The McChicken Meal has risen 10.1 per cent since last year.
Legislator Lee Cheuk-yan said if the public found the new prices unreasonable, they should stop eating McDonald's food.
'I have boycotted McDonald's for years. They pay workers a very low wage and their food contains genetically modified ingredients. It is the right time for consumers to stop eating McDonald's food,' Mr Lee said.