Food for thought: Best buys in food & beverage

Posted Apr 24th 2009 10:30AM by Steven Halpern
Filed under: Newsletters, ETF Investing, Agriculture, Stocks to Buy, Recession

In a difficult economic environment, it is often wise for investors to consider stocks in more defensive and relatively recession-resistant sectors. And one such area is food and beverage stocks.

As the long-standing market maxim goes, consumers can pull back on spending for vacations, remodeling, and new cars, but they still need to eat and drink.

In that light, I turned to nine leading newsletter advisors who serve up their current favorite ideas in the food and beverage sector:

Two top advisors -- Elizabeth Harrow and Dennis Slothower -- see potential in American Italian Pasta Company (NASDAQ: AIPC). Read the full article here.

Jonas Elmerraji considers The J.M. Smucker Company (NYSE: SJM) a "sweet stock" for current purchase. Read the full article here.

Mike Cintolo is a fan of companies offering healthy fare. One favorite is fast-casual dining chain Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA). Read the full article here.

Cintolo also recommends grocery chain Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI), with its emphasis on healthy and organic products. Read the full article here.

Two growth stock experts -- Toby Smith and Bill Martin -- are fans of McDonald's (NYSE: MCD). Both note that the company is benefiting as consumers seek more moderately priced meals. Read the full article here.

One item that few will give up regardless of the economic climate is the morning cup of coffee. Commodity expert Eric Roseman uncovers a relatively obscure exchange traded note that allows investors to bet on the market for coffee -- iPath Dow Jones-AIG Coffee ETN (NYSE: JO). Read the full article here.

Liquor has long been considered a recession-resistant play; indeed many claim it is a beneficiary of a difficult economic environment. Alex Green looks to leading liquor distributor Diageo (NYSE: DEO). Read the full article here.

Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a free daily overview of the favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

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