"What's safe and cheap in today's market? Food stocks top our buy list this month," suggests leading value advisor Richard Band.

The editor of Profitable Investing explains, "Here are two of my favorite buys, each with the potential to rack up a total return (price gain plus dividends) of at least 15% in the coming year: Nestle (NSRGY) and PepsiCo (PEP).

Shares of food giant Campbell Soup Co. (CPB) traded sharply lower Friday morning after it posted lower-than-expected revenues and lowered forward guidance.

Earnings for the company's second quarter were in-line with analyst estimates at $0.71 per share, but revenues came in at just $2.13 billion for the quarter. Analysts had been expecting to see Campbell report revenues of $2.15 billion.

"Food prices in China have again rising sharply; the average price of 18 staple vegetables rose 62.4% year over year according to the Ministry of Commerce," says global stock specialist Vivian Lewis.

The editor of Global Investing explains, "One way to gain from rising Chinese vegetable prices is Le Gaga Holdings (GAGA). The small cap Chinese veggie producer is a recent IPO.

"Fed by the Kimche crisis in Korea, Chinese shoppers are now paying 10x as much for a head of cabbage (bok choi) as a year ago. Other pricey foods are garlic and ginger, both near double year-ago levels.

"The agriculture-related stocks continue to move into my top tier of highest scoring stocks; add to this, BHP Billiton's hostile take-over bid for Potash Corp. and it is easy to see how investor interest in this segment of the market appears to be heating up," says Mike Turner.

The editor of Mastering the Markets explains, "One favorite in the sector is Mosaic (MOS). With a market capitalization of $25.2 billion, produces potash, one of the primary ingredients in fertilizer.

"I find it very interesting that seven of the top ten scoring stocks in my database of 6,000 stocks and ETFs are food-related companies," says trading specialist Mike Turner.

The editor of Mastering the Markets adds, "And one of the top-scoring stocks that has caught my eye out of this group is the Starbucks Corp. (SBUX).

"This is a fundamentally solid company, that has been in a technical buy mode since March of 2009. This is one of those stocks that looks to be firing on all cylinders, and could continue its pricing trend for as long as the general market does not implode -- a potential development I am concerned about.

"Heinz (HNZ) is one of the most dependable, all-weather companies you'll find; even the most gusty economic storms won't blow ketchup off people's tables," says Nathan Slaughter.

The editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor explains, "And its wide assortment of condiments, marinades, sauces and frozen entrees control either the No. 1 or No. 2 market share in over 50 countries worldwide.

"In recent years Heinz has been stirring up new product development and mixing in emerging market expansion -- a tasty recipe for growth. The company had posted 20 consecutive quarters of organic sales growth.

"One of ace investor Peter Lynch's favorite business models is the "cookie-cutter," which simply involves building the same successful store again and again in new places; McDonald's perfected the model, and Whole Foods Market (WFMI) is following the same profitable path, though at a higher price poin," says Timothy Lutts, who has chosen the stock as his featured monthly buy recommendation.

The editor of Cabot Stock of the Month explains, "McDonald's competed on price; Whole Foods competes on quality, targeting the consumer who wants healthy organic food and will pay more to get it.

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"Diamond Foods (DMND), a player in nuts and pop corn, is our top pick for 2010," says Sy Harding.

In his The Long & Short Stock Advisor, he explains, "The company seems to have had no problems with the recession or slow economy."

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"General Mills (GIS) looks especially tasty for total returns in 2010," says Chuck Carlson, a leading expert on dividend reinvestment plans -- a low-cost strategy for long-term investors to accumulate shares of a particular stock directly from the company.

On his The DRIP Investor, he explains, "There is a transition taking place in the stock market toward high-quality, dividend-paying stocks. General Mills plays into this trend very nicely.

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"PepsiCo (PEP), my top pick for 2010, remains underrated by the market," says Jim Stack.

The money manager and editor of InvesTech Market Analyst suggests, "All too often, it's viewed as a stodgy soft drink company, fully reliant on its namesake soda line. That's a misconception." Here, he sets the record straight.

"China is becoming a land of big milk drinkers; this year, China will consume 25 million tons of milk, putting it ahead of both France and Germany -- that's a 76% increase from 2000," observes Tony Sagami.

In The Asia Stock Alert, he explains, "The best way to profit from this Chinese milk boom, in my opinion, is to invest in China-based American Dairy (NYSE: ADY)." Here's the advisor's review.

"The Chinese currently consumes 24 pounds of dairy products per person each year versus a world average of almost 220 pounds annually.

"One of the guiding principles of our growth investing system is the concept that major trends tend to persist longer and go farther than originally expected," says Timothy Lutts.

In The Cabot Stock of the Month, he explains, "It's a principle that supports our current bullish market stance and our recommendation of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR), even though the stock is already up more than four-fold since March."

"The business, of course, is coffee, a true global mass-market product. And while Starbucks' stock peaked in 2006 (ending a 14-year run), Green Mountain Coffee Roasters is younger and far less famous.

"There's a misconception out there about PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP); all too often, it's viewed as a stodgy soft drink company, fully reliant on its namesake soda line," says money manager and newsletter advisor Jim Stack.

In his InvesTech Market Analyst, he suggests, "In reality, PepsiCo owns some of the most sought after brands in the world, including Gatorade, Tropicana, Frito-Lay and Doritos." Here's his review of the company and its outlook.

"PepsiCo does business in more than 200 countries worldwide, including key emerging market economies like China and India and, perhaps most important of all, it's a growth company with analysts expecting long-term future earnings growth of 10-12% per year.

"I'm often drawn to companies that fly 'under the radar' or are misunderstood by investors, such as Del Monte Foods (NYSE: DLM)," says Chuck Carlson in his The DRIP Investor.

"Most people recognize the Del Monte name and the company's brands in the fruit and vegetable business. But did you know that Del Monte is also home to some of the most popular pet-food brands in the marketplace?

"Profits have been solid in recent quarters, and growth should continue in 2010. An improving ?nancial position and a rising dividend round out the appeal.

"Investing in the fertilizer business may not sound sexy, but the dynamics and fundamentals of the food business will turn it into one of the most profitable sectors you could find.," explains global expert Tony Sagami.

In his The Asia Stock Alert he suggests, "Every farmer needs to use fertilizer -- and the most used and most important fertilizer is potash. And Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) is set to make a bundle supplying potash to the world."

"There are approximately 6.6 billion people on our planet today, but that number is expected to grow to 8.2 billion by 2030. That's a lot of mouths to feed. Plus, the amount of food each mouth is eating is also increasing.