A Beijing court yesterday heard a retired worker's complaint against United States fast-food chain KFC after he felt insulted by its "dog set meal."

The 68-year-old Beijing native surnamed Jin demanded KFC make a public apology along with compensation of more than 18,000 yuan (US$2,532) for the psychological damage he experienced, Beijing News reported today.

Jin told the court that he and his grandson bought a "dog meal set" at a KFC outlet in Beijing's Tongzhou District on December 15.

For the promotion, customers had the option of paying an extra two yuan for a desktop calendar with pictures of "Chaquan," a cartoon dog created by a Japanese toy company.

Jin told the court he felt "uncomfortable" with the set meal's name as he thought the food his grandson ate was made for dogs, the report said. The report did not explain why the man purchased the meals if that's how he felt.

Beijing KFC Co said the set was named "dog meal set" because of the desktop calendar and was a simple promotion.

The company's attorney said Jin's perception of the set meal was "personal" and could not represent the views of all consumers, the report said.

A TV commercial promoting the meal was approved by the China Advertising Association and was legal, the report said.

The court hasn't set a date to announce a verdict, the report said.

(Shanghai Daily, March 7, 2008)