Kraft Foods has signed sponsorship deals with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the US and CBS Sports.

As part of the agreement, the Planters, Ritz, Oreo and Wheat Thins snack brands brands will become the NCAA’s “official cookie, nut and cracker partners”.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

“This partnership is a slam dunk for Kraft Foods,” said Stephen Chriss, senior director for marketing alliances at Kraft Foods. “It gives us an opportunity to connect our delicious snack brands with key audiences in a big way.”

Throughout the partnership, NCAA and CBS Sports will feature the Kraft snack brands before, during and after NCAA championships events. Planned marketing initiatives include new product sampling, contests, promotions, and college-themed displays in retail stores.

“We are thrilled to have Kraft Foods join the NCAA Corporate marketing family at CBS Sports,” said Chris Simko, senior vice president CBS sports sales and marketing and director CBS Sports Properties Group. “This is exactly the kind of integrated promotional partnership that has become synonymous with CBS Sports’ NCAA corporate marketing programme.”

Health campaigners in the UK this week slammed the decision by sports associations to sign up companies and brands related to junk food as sponsors after Mars Inc announced a deal with the Scottish Football Association.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Richard Watts, co-ordinator of the Children’s Food Campaign, told just-food that it “is not appropriate” for brands like Mars and Coke to be linked with sport.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact