Submission Policy
Do you have a new product or packaging idea that you think might be valuable to
Kraft Foods? At Kraft, our Innovations Team welcomes these new ideas, and
sincerely hopes that you choose to share your ideas with us. That said, we want
to make sure you fully understand Kraft’s process and rules about receiving
such ideas.
While we understand that these rules might appear strict, they are necessary to
protect both you and Kraft. Therefore, we ask you to carefully review all the
information provided below, and only send us your idea if you are comfortable
with our rules. We thank you in advance for considering Kraft as a recipient of
your creative work!1
Types of Innovations We Are Looking For
Kraft is accepting ideas under this policy for new products, packaging, and
business processes/systems only. We are most interested in ideas that are more
than a concept, in particular new products & packages that are ready to be
brought to market (or can be brought to market quickly).
Although we very much appreciate: recipes, entertainment ideas, ideas for line
extensions for existing Kraft products or packages, ideas for
advertising/promotions and the like, such ideas fall outside the scope of this
policy-- and thus will not be reviewed by our Innovations Team or considered
for compensation.
Background
Kraft’s Higher Purpose is to "make today delicious."
So, as you might guess, Kraft continuously seeks to develop and market new food
and food-related products, packaging and business processes that help us
realize that vision.
Each year, Kraft receives many ideas from people and organizations outside our
company. While we are always interested in new ideas, you should know that most
of what we receive (or will receive in the future) is not (or will not be) new
to us. This is because, as you might guess, Kraft has a large staff of
scientists and marketers who are continuously working to develop and improve
our products, packaging and processes. Therefore, many submissions from
"outside" Kraft actually duplicate Kraft's current or past research and
development efforts. Many other ideas simply fall outside the scope of our
business interests.
Protecting Your Ideas
Depending on the type of idea you have, you may have proprietary rights in it.
Therefore, you should consider protecting it through patents or copyrights
before submitting it to Kraft. To best understand whether you
could obtain patent or copyright protection for your idea, you should consult
with your own lawyer. Kraft employees are not authorized to consult with you on
these matters. Further, because disclosing your idea to Kraft could affect your
ability to obtain proprietary rights, please submit your idea to Kraft only after
you have obtained the protection you feel is necessary.
1 This policy does not apply to Kraft Foods' employees, vendors or
suppliers. Employees should discuss ideas with their manager. Vendors and
suppliers should discuss process and policy for submitting ideas with their
Kraft contacts.
Kraft’s General Policy Regarding Submitted Ideas
Kraft will only review submissions on a non-confidential, no obligation basis as set forth in the “Submission Agreement”.
Submitting your idea to Kraft does not restrict you from submitting it to other companies.
Kraft will only evaluate ideas that are submitted under the terms of the Submission Agreement.
Possible Compensation to You
If Kraft is interested in using your idea and the idea is protected—or protectible—by a patent or copyright, we may negotiate with you for license rights. Your compensation will be determined as a part of those negotiations.
If Kraft is interested in using your idea and it is not protected (or protectible) by a patent or copyright, but is new to Kraft and we adopt it, Kraft may, at its sole discretion, grant you a nominal award. In no case will that nominal award exceed 5000 $US.
Kraft’s Process for Reviewing Submissions
After identifying the idea you would
like to submit, please read and acknowledge your acceptance of terms of the
Submission Agreement.
Complete the brief "Idea Submission
Form" and upload any necessary accompanying documents, which provides
information necessary for Kraft to do an initial evaluation of your idea.
Once Kraft receives the Submission
Agreement and Idea Submission Form, your idea will go to the appropriate Kraft
person to assess our level of interest. If we need additional information, and
you consider the additional information to be confidential, Kraft may enter
into a written confidentiality agreement with you at that point to obtain it. (We
note that most of the time, non-confidential disclosures are sufficient for
Kraft to determine its level of interest, so in the vast majority of
situations, confidentiality agreements will not be necessary).
Kraft will try to report back to you
with the results of its evaluation in about six weeks, although some
evaluations take longer. Under no circumstances will Kraft be obligated to
reveal the details of its evaluation.
Personal interviews are not necessary in most cases, but if an interview
becomes necessary, it will most likely take place at a Kraft corporate location
in the New York, NY, Chicago, IL or Madison, WI areas.