5 Best Food Stocks To Buy Right Now

What do you get when you cross a Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (NASDAQ:JVA) with a Medical Marijuana Inc. (OTCMKTS:MJNA) and a Kraft Foods Group Inc. (NASDAQ:KRFT)? No, it's not a setup for a punch line - there's a legitimate answer. And that answer is, Latteno Food Corp. (OTCMKTS:LATF).

Don't sweat it if you've never heard of it; most investors haven't. Its obscurity doesn't negate its opportunity, however. Indeed, LATF may be one of the market's best short-term trading opportunities out there right now.

So how does Latteno Food Corp. act as a blend of Kraft Foods Group, Medical Marijuana, and Coffee Holding Co.? The company's technically a food supplier/wholesaler, in the same vein as KRFT. But, its core food business is milk and coffee, following in the footsteps JVA. But, it's also staking a claim in the medical marijuana game - through its subsidiary Valley Organics - that allows an investor to categorize it with a ticker like MJNA. In fact, LATF is going to deepen its exposure to the medical cannabis and food industries by combining regular food products and medical cannabis; there's an open call for MMJ recipes right now that may be converted to on-the-shelf products where legal.

Top 5 Warren Buffett Companies To Buy Right Now: Danone SA (DANOY)

Danone SA, incorporated on February 2, 1899, is a France-based company engaged in food processing activities. The Company operates in four business lines, including Fresh Dairy Products, Waters, Baby Nutrition and Medical Nutrition. The Fresh Dairy Products business line�� brands are Danone, Actimel, Activia, Danacol and Vitalinea. The Water business line offers brands, such as Evian, Volvic, Aqua, Bonafont, Font Vella and Lanjaron. The Baby Nutrition business line include Bledina, Gallia, Nutricia, Cow & Gate, Milupa, Mellin and Dumex brands. Medical nutrition business includes Nutricia, Nutrini, Nutrison, Fortimel, FortiCare, Fortisip, Neocate and Infatrini brands. As of December 31, 2009, the Company acquired Danone Clover and a 26.85% interest in Micropharma. In December 2010, the Company and Unimilk announced the finalization of the merger of their Fresh Dairy Product businesses.

In Europe the Company�� main markets are France, Spain, Germany, Italy, the Benelux countries, the United Kingdom, Poland and Russia. The Company�� product Actimel, the probiotic dairy product, if consumed daily, helps to strengthen the organism�� natural defenses. The Waters business line includes activities focused on natural or flavored mineral water and on fruit-flavored or tea drinks, with a positioning concerned with health benefits. The Company�� baby nutrition business line�� activities consist mainly of producing food for newborns and babies (infant milk formula, follow-on milk, and growing up milk). It also offers a diverse range of products for

children aged 6 to 36 months. Specially developed and clinically tested formulas have also been developed for babies suffering from milk protein intolerance. The Medical Nutrition business line develops nutritional products adapted to specific needs, namely those of hospitalized patients, in order to prevent malnutrition and to improve its consumers daily life.

The Company competes with Nestle, PepsiCo, Coca-cola, Abbott, Mead! Johnson and Fresenius.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Andrew Marder]

  Yogurt for breakfast is good. Coffee for breakfast is good. Yogurt-coffee might be crossing a hidden line, though. Thankfully, that's apparently not what�Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX  ) and Danone� (NASDAQOTH: DANOY  ) had in mind when they recently announced a plan to release yogurt together starting in 2014. The companies both get a benefit from the agreement, with Danone using Starbucks to get more exposure in the American market, while Starbucks gets another arrow in its food-quiver.

• [By Jim Jubak]

  Six milk powder producers, charged by China's National Development and Reform Commission with price fixing, have pled guilty and will be fined 669 million yuan ($109 million.) The companies—Mead Johnson Nutrition (MJN), Danone (DANOY) subsidiary Dumex, Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Fonterra Cooperative Group (FSF:AU), FrieslandCampina, and Biostime International Holdings—admitted they set minimum prices for distributors in order to keep prices high. Many of the companies had earlier cut the prices they charge in China—Fonterra had cut the price of its Anmun brand of baby formula 9%, Abbott Laboratories had reduced prices by as much as 12%, and Mead Johnson had lowered prices by 7% to 15%. This is, CaixinOnline reports, the harshest penalty handed out under China's five-year-old anti-monopoly law. The announcement of the fine, hard on the heels of a ban by China on all imports of whey protein products from Fonterra—after regulators found a batch of whey from a Fonterra plant in New Zealand contaminated with botulism—makes it clear that something big is going on here.

• [By Jose Pagliery and Sophia Yan]

  Volkswagen (VLKAF) recalled 384,141 vehicles in China after a 2013 consumer rights' broadcast. State media have also targeted Starbucks (SBUX), Japan's Nikon, British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GLAXF) and French dairy company Danone (DANOY) in recent years.

• [By Tamara Rutter]

  Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX  ) ,�the world's most popular coffee chain, is joining forces with Danone� (NASDAQOTH: DANOY  ) to create an exclusive yogurt line called "Evolution Fresh, Inspired by Dannon."�The line of co-branded yogurts will be sold in U.S. Starbucks locations as soon as next year, and will reach grocery store shelves by 2015.

5 Best Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: Chiquita Brands International Inc. (CQB)

Chiquita Brands International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the distribution and marketing of bananas and fresh produce under the Chiquita and other brand names worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Bananas, Salads and Healthy Snacks, and Other Produce. The Banana segment sources, transports, markets, and distributes bananas to retailers and wholesalers, and chain stores. It also engages in the cultivation and production of bananas. The Salads and Healthy Snacks segment offers value-added salads under the Fresh Express and other labels; and fresh vegetable and fruit ingredients used in foodservice, healthy snacks, and processed fruit ingredient products. This segment also provides fresh-cut products, such as lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, and onions to foodservice distributors who resell these products to foodservice operators. It distributes Fresh Express branded products to food retailers, foodservice distributors, and quick-service restaurants; and fresh produce foodservice offerings primarily to third-party distributors for resale principally to quick-service restaurants in the United States. The Other Produce segment engages in sourcing, marketing, and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables other than bananas in Europe and North America. It offers grapes, pineapples, melons, kiwis, tomatoes, and avocados. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sara Murphy]

  Furthermore, the court's finding does not undermine the use of the ATS in cases of human rights abuses. It just requires a stronger connection to the United States. That means that other ATS cases currently working their way through the legal system, such as Earth Rights International's case against Chiquita (NYSE: CQB  ) for allegedly funding and arming Colombian terrorists, are still on track. That also means that the link from human rights violations to corporate liability remains.

• [By Jack Kramer and Nick Martell]

  3. Chiquita earnings get frozen
  Just in time for our favorite part of the year, smoothie season, your favorite childhood banana distributor,�Chiquita Brands (NYSE: CQB  ) , reported first-quarter earnings on�Friday�that investors (figuratively) threw bananas at. Revenue for the first three months of 2014 fell 2% from the same period the previous year, to $762 million.

5 Best Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: Nestle SA (NSRGY)

Nestle SA is a company engaged in the nutrition, health and wellness sectors. It is the holding company of the Nestle Group, which comprises subsidiaries, associated companies and joint ventures throughout the world. The Company has such business units as Food and Beverage, Nestle Waters and Nestle Nutrition. Nestle is also active in the pharmaceutical sector. It divides its products into nine categories: Prepared dishes and cooking aids, Beverages, Confectionery, Ice cream, Water, PetCare, Milk products, Nutrition and Pharma. It has numerous subsidiaries engaged in various areas of activity, including Alcon Ophthalmika GmbH (Austria), Alcon Bulgaria EOOD (Bulgaria) and Galderma Laboratorium GmbH (Germany) for pharmaceuticals; Novartis Nutrition GmbH (Austria) and Hjem-IS A/S (Denmark) for food and beverages, and Galderma International SAS (France) and Galderma Laboratorium GmbH (Germany) for health and beauty activities. The Company is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. In July 2008, Novartis AG acquired a 25% stake in Alcon, Inc. from Nestle SA. In March 2010, the Company acquired Kraft Foods Inc' frozen pizza business.

In April 2008, L'Oreal and Nestle SA's joint venture, Galderma Pharma S.A., announced that its United States holding company, Galderma Laboratories, Inc., had acquired approximately 97% interest in CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. During the year ended December 31, 2004, Nestle had 500 factories in 83 countries around the world. In 2004, 15 factories were acquired or opened and 29 closed or divested.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By jaggom]

  This is a smart move by Hershey's since the Chinese chocolate confectionery business is an enormous one at $12 billion, with Mars and Nestle (NSRGY) the heading players. So, Hershey's latest acquisition should help it tap this business in a superior manner.

• [By Blake Bos]

  Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX  ) currently holds 25% of the market share in packaged coffee, and is now making a very ambitious push further into this space with the release of its Verismo home coffee machines. But thus far, consumers' reactions to the machine have been very lukewarm. In this video, Motley Fool consumer goods analyst Blake Bos takes a look at Starbucks' machine compared to the Nespresso machine from Nestle (NASDAQOTH: NSRGY  ) . He tells us what consumers like better about the Nespresso, but also why Starbucks won't be giving up the fight in this space anytime soon.

• [By WWW.DAILYFINANCE.COM]

  Herb Swanson/Bloomberg/Getty Images One of this year's biggest winners on Wall Street is Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR). The stock was up 65 percent through the first half of 2014, a surprising spike for the leader in single-serve premium coffee, which was starting to see its growth decelerate. The initial catalyst for Keurig Green Mountain's surge came in February when Coca-Cola (KO) paid $1.25 billion for a 10 percent stake in the company. Coca-Cola paid roughly $75 a share for the stock, and it paid a much higher price for more a couple of months later when it boosted its stake to 16 percent. It's a significant development when the world's largest beverage company takes such a sizable stake in a niche player, but Coca-Cola's validation of the K-Cup champ has also made that investment more valuable. That initial $1.25 billion purchase is now worth more than $2 billion. Given the meandering ways of Coca-Cola's own business -- analysts expect to see flat sales growth this year -- riding the coattails of a hot beverage company could be just the ticket to silence those skeptics reminiscing about Coca-Cola's glory years of heady growth. The Mountain is Always Greener on the Other Side Coca-Cola's investment isn't the only reason why Keurig Green Mountain has been percolating. Despite losing patent protection for its K-Cup portion packs two years ago, growing numbers of coffee brands and retailers are turning to Keurig Green Mountain to fuel single-serve initiatives. BJ's Wholesale Club announced last week that it will have Keurig Green Mountain itself handle K-Cup production for BJ's private-label Wellsley brand. Keurig Green Mountain this week it revealed that it's teaming up with European giant Nestle (NSRGY) to introduce the first K-Cup to offer branded coffee and creamer in the same portion pack. Nestle Coffee-mate K-Cups will be available through Keurig's website in the fall and across retail outlets early next year. Hot and Cold Nothing trumps fears ov

• [By Rick Munarriz]

  The global food giant behind the Tassimo single-serve coffee platform announced on Monday that it was launching espresso capsules that are compatible with Nestle's (NASDAQOTH: NSRGY  ) Nespresso in key European markets. The move is somewhat similar to Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX  ) expanding its deal with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR  ) even after putting out its own single-serve coffee system last year.�

5 Best Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: McCormick & Company Inc (MKC)

McCormick & Company, Incorporated (McCormick) manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the food industry, retail outlets, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. The Company�� sales, distribution and production facilities are located in North America and Europe. Additional facilities are based in China, Australia, Mexico, India, Singapore, Central America, Thailand and South Africa. The Company operates in two business segments: consumer and industrial. During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2011, the Company�� consumer business contributed 59% of sales and 79% of operating income and the industrial business contributed 41% of sales and 21% of operating income.

McCormick�� products are sold directly to customers and also through brokers, wholesalers, and distributors. In the consumer segment, products are resold to consumers through a range of retail outlets, including grocery, mass merchandise, warehouse clubs, discount, and drug stores under a range of brands. In the industrial segment, products are used by food and beverage manufacturers as ingredients for their finished goods and by food service customers as ingredients for menu items to enhance the flavor of their foods. Customers for the industrial segment include food manufacturers and the foodservice industry supplied both directly and indirectly through distributors.

Consumer Business

The Company�� brands in the Americas include McCormick, Lawry�� and Club House. The Company also markets brands, such as Zatarain��, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) its brands include the Ducros, Schwartz and Kamis brands of spices, herbs and seasonings and a line of Vahine brand dessert items. In the Asia/Pacific region its primary brand is McCormick, with the exception of India where its joint venture owns and trades under the Kohinoor brand. The Company�� customers span a variety of retail o! utlets that include grocery, mass merchandise, warehouse clubs, discount and drug stores, served directly and indirectly through distributors or wholesalers. In addition to marketing its products to these customers, the Company is also a supplier of private label items, also known as store brands. More than 250 other brands are sold in the United States with additional brands in international markets.

Industrial Business

In its industrial business, the Company provides a range of products to multinational food manufacturers and foodservice customers. The foodservice customers are supplied both directly and indirectly through distributors. Its range of products include seasoning blends, natural spices and herbs, wet flavors, coating systems and compound flavors. In addition to a broad range of flavor solutions, we strive to achieve customer intimacy.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  Investors have always been interested in stocks that pay dividends, but lately, low interest rates on bonds and other fixed-income investments have made solid dividend payers even more valuable. Among the most promising dividend stocks in the market is McCormick (NYSE: MKC  ) , and one big reason is that it is one of the few exclusive companies to make the list of Dividend Aristocrats. In order to become a member of this elite group, a company must have raised its dividend payouts to shareholders every single year for at least a quarter-century. Only a few dozen stocks manage to make the cut, and those that do tend to stay there for a long time.

• [By Bruce Kennedy]

  (c) 2013 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

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• [By Dan Caplinger]

  On Thursday, McCormick (NYSE: MKC  ) will release its latest quarterly results. With a solid history of delivering regular dividend growth, McCormick shares got very popular during the bull market, but the rise in interest rates have caused some to question whether the stock has gotten ahead of its fundamentals.