ECB's The Hundred under fire for 'junk food' sponsorship

In the summer of 2020, a new 100-ball cricket tournament - The Hundred - will be launched in England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) featuring eight entirely new teams representing seven cities. The ECB has come under fire from health advocacy groups who said their new domestic tournament The Hundred promotes junk food with its sponsorship deal with KP Snacks, report agencies.
The 100-ball format tournament, which will be started July 2020, was launched recently and all eight city-based teams' kits prominently feature logos of the British-based brand's products, which are mainly maize, potato, and nut-based snacks.
A new format of cricket, The Hundred sees innings of 100 balls, with organisers hoping this simplifies the game for new viewers. Each team will bat and bowl for 100 balls and each bowler can deliver up to ten at a time.
The eight new franchises will be based in seven cities, with men's and women's sides at each location. Men's and women's teams from Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Cardiff, Southampton and two in London (based at Lord's and The Oval) will compete in the new format.
Cricket fans have been feasting their eyes on the launch of new kits for The Hundred and they've been less than impressed.
Each team has been branded by crisps and unhealthy snacks including brands Popchips, Skips and McCoy's.
KP Snacks was announced as the tournament's 'official team partner' in July by the ECB in a bid to grow the game and encourage families to be more active but health advocacy groups said it would have a negative effect, especially on children.
"Junk food brands' sponsorship of popular sporting events is just another way they make sure their unhealthy products take centre stage in children's minds," Caroline Cerny of the Obesity Health Alliance said in statement.
"We know that the relentless exposure to junk food marketing that children today are exposed to influences their food choices and how much they eat."
KP Snacks said they recognised they had a responsibility to provide people with healthier snacking choices, adding that they had reduced the amount of salt content in their core products.
"We believe that snacks can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise," a KP Snacks spokeswoman told Reuters. "We have also reformulated existing recipes and introduced new lower salt products."
The ECB said the partnership with the snacks brand was an opportunity to use their "unprecedented reach" to grow the game.
"We agree it's critical to promote this partnership responsibly and we'll use our own platform... to educate and promote health, activity and balance as a core message," an ECB spokesperson told Reuters in an email.