Kraft Foods Calls an Audible for the Coin Toss of the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

NORTHFIELD, Ill., Jan. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Every football game, whether pee-wee, high school, college or pro, starts with the same event: a coin toss.  But while every game has a coin toss, there's not a "standard" coin.  

Sometimes it's a beat-up quarter found at the bottom of the ref's pocket.  Maybe it's a coach's lucky half-dollar with John F. Kennedy on one side.  Sometimes there's a commemorative coin printed to underscore the significance of the game.  They're all metal in one form or another – nickel, copper, silver or gold... until now.

When the captains of the University of Nevada and Boston College huddle Sunday for the coin toss of the inaugural Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (ESPN, 6pm PT / 9pm ET), they'll make a little history.  They won't be vying for the ball by flipping a commemorative silver or gold coin, but rather a Double Stuf Oreo Heads or Tails cookie will decide their fate.

To help in this one-of-a-kind toss, Kraft Foods' President Tony Vernon has teamed up with football legend Joe Montana for the official toss.  "In the many years I've been around football, I can honestly say I've never seen a cookie used for a coin toss," said Joe Montana, football legend and Kraft Foods' Huddle to Fight Hunger celebrity ambassador.  "I think it's pretty cool and I'm sure it will become a unique tradition for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.  Who doesn't love football and Oreo cookies?"

The Double Stuf Oreo Heads or Tails cookie is the latest addition to the Oreo family.  The cookie features a chocolate wafer on one side and a golden wafer on the other, with the delicious Oreo creme in between.  Double Stuf Oreo Heads or Tails cookies are available at retailers nationwide.

A Bowl With a Cause

The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is the only bowl game raising money and awareness about the issue of hunger in the United States, which affects 50 million Americans.

The bowl celebrates the culmination of Kraft Foods' most ambitious branded hunger relief program ever – Huddle to Fight Hunger. "Over the past four months, we've huddled our iconic brands, more than 60 retail partners and celebrity ambassadors including Joe Montana, Erin Andrews and Pat and Gina Neely to make a difference in the fight against hunger," said Stephen Chriss, Senior Director, Corporate Scale & Marketing Partnerships, Kraft Foods North America.  "But we couldn't have made such a significant impact without the support of generous Americans who helped us eclipse our goal of donating 20 million meals to Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger relief organization."

In addition to Oreo, other Kraft Foods brands that were instrumental in the creation of the Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl include Kraft Macaroni & Cheese dinners, Ritz crackers, Planters nuts, Oscar Mayer meats, Maxwell House coffee, Kool-Aid beverages, Kraft cheese, Kraft Singles, Miracle Whip and Kraft Mayo.  

For more information about the Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign or the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, visit www.huddletofighthunger.com.

About Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods is taking a stand when it comes to fighting hunger and promoting healthy lifestyles. The company and the Kraft Foods Foundation have donated nearly $1 billion in cash and food to organizations since 1990. Most recently, the company reinforced its commitment by donating $180 million over a three-year period to community involvement activities around the globe.

Kraft Foods is building a global snacks powerhouse and an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love.  With annual revenues of approximately $48 billion, the company is the world's second largest food company, making delicious products for billions of consumers in approximately 170 countries.  The portfolio includes 11 iconic brands with revenues exceeding $1 billion – Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats.  Approximately 70 brands generate annual revenues of more than $100 million.  Kraft Foods (www.kraftfoodscompany.com; NYSE: KFT) is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor's 500, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

About Feeding America

Feeding America provides low-income individuals and families with the fuel to survive and even thrive. As the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, our network members supply food to more than 37 million Americans each year, including 14 million children and 3 million seniors. Serving the entire United States, more than 200 member food banks support 61,000 agencies that address hunger in all of its forms. For more information on how you can fight hunger in your community and across the country, visit http://www.feedingamerica.org. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/FeedingAmerica or follow our news on Twitter at twitter.com/FeedingAmerica.

About the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

Operated by the San Francisco Bowl Game Association, the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl will be played at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Sunday, January 9, 2011 at 6pm PT / 9pm ET and broadcast live on ESPN. Since its 2002 inception, the game, played at San Francisco's AT&T Park, has generated over $100 million in economic impact for the City and County of San Francisco. This year's game features the Nevada Wolf Pack and Boston College Eagles, who join several of college football's most storied programs that have participated in the game over the past nine years, including USC, Miami, Virginia Tech, California and Navy, among others. The 2009 game between USC and Boston College was ESPN's third-most-watched college football game ever.  The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl marks the game's fifth straight prime time kickoff.

- make today delicious -

SOURCE Kraft Foods