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:

This post is part of a seven article report -- Food for thought: Best bets in food & beverage stocks..

"If you're buying stocks to meet long-term investment goals, now is an excellent time to do some bargain hunting," says Alexander Green. In The Oxford Communique he looks to Diageo (NYSE: DEO).

"One good place to start is with Diageo. We like the outlook for company, which is the world's largest spirit maker. In good times or bad, people drink. According to some studies, even more during the bad times.

"With eight of the top 20 brands, and unparalleled marketing and distribution operations, Diageo is the best way to tap into the globe's steady demand for high-quality spirits.

"Diageo (NYSE: DEO) is the world's biggest spirits company with operations in over 180 countries," notes Alexander Green. The contributing editor to The Money Map Report explains, "Diageo is a non-cyclical, recession-proof
stock we can count on to deliver solid results no matter which way the global economy heads."

The advisor explains, "The company's brands are some of the oldest and most successful: Smirnoff vodka, Guinness stout, Bailey's Original Irish Cream, J&B and Johnnie Walker Scotch whiskies, Jose Cuervo tequila, Captain Morgan rum and Tanqueray gin – among others.

"For the first six months of fiscal year 2008, the company beat expectations. Sales rose by 5.7%. Earnings advanced almost twice as fast, hitting $2 billion. And dissecting the results further reveals continued strength in international and emerging markets, with operating profits up 20%.

Each year Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, surveys the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is part of his 24th annual Top Picks Report.

Britain's Diageo (NYSE: DEO), the largest alcoholic drinks manufacturer in the world, is the top conservative pick for 2007, from Paul Tracy. The editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor observes, "The company owns either the best-selling or second-best-selling brand of drink in every major category.

"While DEO garners most of its income from spirits, it's also a major wine and beer producer. Top-selling brands include Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, and Guinness. Diageo owns one fifth of the world's 100 top-selling liquor brands.

"DEO has benefited from two major growth sources in recent years. In the U.S., consumers continue to shift their spending in favor of premium spirits brands. Meanwhile, consumers are also moving away from beer in favor of spirits. Both trends benefit Diageo, as it owns most of the top-selling U.S. liquor brands and most of its liquors are positioned at the premium end of the market.