Top Food Stocks To Buy Right Now

Chad Tall, Taco Bell, earns $8 an hour: "I support a sister, brother and my mom. We all live together in an apartment in the Bronx."

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) Fast-food workers went on strike across the country on Thursday hitting pizza, burger and taco chains in Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, and other cities.

Organizers say workers in about 150 cities walked off work to demand a minimum wage of $15 an hour, and the right to join unions without retaliation from employers.

The big chains of the $200 billion fast food industry were well represented, with workers from McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500), Taco Bell (YUM, Fortune 500), Chipotle (CMG), KFC, Wendy's (WEN), Burger King (BKW) and Domino's Pizza.

In New York City, workers paraded up Broadway beating drums and blowing vuvuzelas. CNNMoney talked to several of them. Here they are, in their own voices.

Hot Gas Utility Stocks To Watch Right Now: Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd (SVNDY)

Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. is a Japan-based holding company. The Company operates in six business segments. The Convenience Store segment operates convenience stores under the name 7-Eleven through direct operation and franchising. The Super Store segment operates general supermarkets, food supermarkets and specialty stores. The Department Store segment operates department stores with a focus on Seibu. The Food Service segment is engaged in the restaurant business, the contract food business and the fast food business. The Financial-related segment is engaged in the banking service, credit card and electronic money services. The Others segment is engaged in the information technology (IT) business. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jim Jubak]

  If you're a trader, you try to catch these ups and downs. If you're a longer term trader, you sort of go with Japanese equities. The one that I've got in Jubak's Picks is Toyota Motor, (TM), which trades in New York as an ADR. You can also go with something like Torre Industries (TRYIF), which trades as an ADR in New York as well as on the Tokyo exchange. They're the world's largest maker of carbon fiber, good play on exports to the aircraft and car industries. Or you can do something like Seven & I (SVNDY), the Japanese company that owns 7-Elevens around the world. So, those would be my ways to play a weak yen if you want to use Japanese equities for the week and the year ahead.

Top Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: Nash-Finch Company(NAFC)

Nash-Finch Company operates as a wholesale food distributor in the United States. The company?s Military segment distributes grocery products to the United States military commissaries and exchanges in the United States and the District of Columbia, Europe, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Azores, Egypt, and Bahrain. Its Food Distribution segment sells and distributes various branded and private label grocery products and perishable food products to approximately 1,500 independent retail locations through its 14 distribution centers. This segment also provides various services, including promotional, advertising, and merchandising programs; installation of computerized ordering, receiving, and scanning systems; retail equipment procurement assistance; accounting, budgeting, and payroll contract services; consumer and market research; remodeling and store development services; supply chain through Internet services; and securing existing grocery stores. The company?s Retail segment operates corporate-owned grocery stores under the Sun Mart, Econofoods, AVANZA, Family Thrift Center, Pick ?n Save, Family Fresh Market, Prairie Market, Saver?s Choice, Wally?s Supermarkets, and Wholesale Food Outlet banners primarily in the states of Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. This segment?s conventional grocery stores offer a range of grocery products and services, such as fresh meat counters, delicatessens, bakeries, eat-in cafes, pharmacies, banks, and floral departments, as well as provide check cashing, fax services, and money transfer services. As of December 31, 2011, the company served 93 retail stores operating under the IGA banner and 50 retail stores under the Food Pride banner; and operated 43 conventional supermarkets, 1 AVANZA grocery store, 1 Wholesale Food Outlet grocery store, and 1 Saver?s Choice store. Nash-Finch Company was founded in 1885 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Alex Planes]

  Sysco has avoided the margin compression suffered by chicken producers Tyson (NYSE: TSN  ) and Cal-Maine Foods (NASDAQ: CALM  ) and which was more deeply felt by smaller food-service operator Nash-Finch (NASDAQ: NAFC  ) . (It is omitted from this chart due to its drop into outright negative operating margin territory (a decline of roughly 250% in two years.) However, fellow food-service company United Natural Foods (NASDAQ: UNFI  ) has actually improved its margins, and restaurant chains both large and small (well, mid-size) have done an admirable job of holding the margin line in the face of rising input costs. So it appears that scale alone isn't enough to help Sysco outrun the rising costs of its products.

• [By Jeremy Bowman]

  What: Shares of Nash-Finch (NASDAQ: NAFC  ) and Spartan Stores (NASDAQ: SPTN  ) jumped as much as 16% and 15%, respectively, after Spartan said it would buy Nash-Finch, primarily for its military stores.

Top Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: MicroFinancial Incorporated(MFI)

Microfinancial Incorporated, through its subsidiaries, operates as a specialized commercial finance company that provides microticket equipment leasing and rental, and other financing services in the United States. The company provides financing alternatives, and leases and rents commercial equipment to start-up and established businesses for use in their daily operations. It leases water filtration systems, food service equipment, security equipment, point-of-sale cash registers, salon equipment, health care and fitness equipment, and automotive equipment. The company primarily sources its originations through a network of independent equipment vendors, sales organizations, and other dealer-based origination networks. Microfinancial Incorporated was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Magic Diligence]

  One stock that has been in the official Magic Formula (MFI) screen for the past month or so has piqued my interest: Kraft (KRFT).

  The MFI screens, particularly the $50 million screen, are usually reserved for deep value stocks. Usually you find stocks in here suffering serious adverse business developments (LQDT, NSR, etc.), operate in out-of-favor industries (APOL, STRA, etc.), have volatile and difficult-to-predict future prospects (PDLI comes to mind), or are just simply cheap quantitatively (CSCO, COH, et.al.).

• [By Eric Lam]

  Alacer Gold Corp. and Iamgold Corp. rallied at least 5.9 percent as the metal traded at its highest in 11 weeks. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (MFI) jumped 7.8 percent as it agreed to sell a unit for C$645 million ($614 million). Penn West Petroleum (PWT) Ltd. added 1.7 percent after cutting 25 percent of its workforce to reduce costs.

• [By Magic Diligence]

  We've said it time and time again... one of the absolute best features of the Magic Formula庐 Investing (MFI) strategy is its ability to dig up highly attractive, small-cap value stocks that you would probably not hear about anywhere else.

Top Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: Kraft Foods Group Inc (KRFT)

Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (Kraft Foods Group), incorporated on March 16, 2012, operates food and beverage businesses in North America. The Company manufactures and markets food and beverage products, including convenient meals, refreshment beverages and coffee, cheese and other grocery products, in the United States and Canada, under a stable of iconic brands. Its product categories span breakfast, lunch and dinner meal occasions, both at home and in foodservice locations. The Company sells its products to supermarket chains, wholesalers, supercenters, club stores, mass merchandisers, distributors, convenience stores, drug stores, gasoline stations, value stores and other retail food outlets in the United States and Canada. On September 14, 2012, the Company�� parent company, Kraft Foods Inc. (Kraft ParentCo), issued a press release relating to the anticipated trading markets for Kraft Foods Inc. and Kraft Foods Group, Inc. common stock through the completion of its spin-off from Kraft Foods Inc. In October 2012, Mondelez International, Inc. completed the spin-off of North American grocery business, Kraft Foods Group. In June 2013, Kraft Foods Group Inc announced plans to create two new, standalone business units: Meals and Desserts, and Enhancers and Snack Nuts.

The Company�� brand portfolio consists of food brands in North America, including three brands: Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; Oscar Mayer meats, and Maxwell House coffees- plus over 20 brands. It manufactures and sells food and beverage products in 50 categories. The Company operates in five segments: U.S. Beverages, which manufactures packaged juice drinks, powdered beverages and coffee; U.S. Cheese, which manufactures processed, natural and cream cheeses; U.S. Convenient Meals, which manufactures processed meats and lunch combinations; U.S. Grocery, which manufactures spoonable and pourable dressings, condiments, desserts, packaged dinners and snack nuts, and Canada & N.A. Foodservice, which sells products that span ! all of its segments and includes the Canadian and Puerto Rico grocery business, the North American foodservice operations and the North American Grocery Export Business.

U.S. Beverages

During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company�� U.S. Beverages segment contributed 16% of its combined net revenues. This segment manufactures refreshment beverages, including Capri Sun (under license) and Kool-Aid packaged juice drinks, Kool-Aid, Crystal Light and Country Timepowdered beverages and MiO liquid concentrate, and coffee products, including Maxwell House, Gevalia and Yuban coffees, Maxwell House Internationalbeverage mixers and Tassimo (under license) hot beverage system.

U.S. Cheese

During 2011, U.S. Cheese segment had contributed 20% of the Company�� combined net revenues. This segment manufactures processed cheese, including Velveeta and Cheez Whiz processed cheeses, Kraft and Deli Deluxe processed cheese slices, Kraft grated cheeses and Polly-O and Athenos hummus and cheeses; natural cheese, including Kraft and Cracker Barrel natural cheeses, and cream cheese, including Philadelphia cream cheese and cooking creme.

U.S. Convenient Meals

During 2011, the Company�� U.S. Convenient Meals segment contributed 18% of its combined net revenues. This segment�� principal brands and products include Oscar Mayer lunch meats, hot dogs and bacon, Lunchables lunch combinations, Boca soy-based meat alternatives, and Claussen pickles.

U.S. Grocery

During 2011, the Company�� U.S. Grocery segment contributed 25% of its combined net revenues. This segment�� principal brands and products include Kraft and Kraft Deluxe macaroni & cheese dinners, Planters nuts, trail mixes and peanut butter, Corn Nuts corn snacks, Jell-O dry packaged desserts and refrigerated gelatin and pudding snacks, Cool Whip whipped topping, Jet-Puffed marshmallows, Baker�� chocolate and baking ingredients, Kraft and Miracle Whip sp! oonable d! ressings, Kraft and Good Seasons salad dressings, A.1. steak sauce, Kraft and Bull��-Eye barbecue sauces, Grey Poupon mustards, Shake N��Bake coatings, Stove Top stuffing mix, Taco Bell Home Originals (under license) meal kits, Velveeta shells and cheese dinners, and Velveeta Skillets meal kits.

Canada & N.A. Foodservice

During 2011, the Company�� Canada & N.A. Foodservice segment contributed 21% of its combined net revenues. The principal products and brands in this segment span all of its segments. Canadian grocery offerings include Nabob coffee and Kraft peanut butter, as well as a range of products in the Grocery Business Lines. The North American foodservice business sells branded products, including Maxwell House coffee, A.1. steak sauce and a range of Kraft sauces, dressings and cheeses, and serves the needs of restaurants and other foodservice operations. Puerto Rico grocery offerings include all grocery business lines, except for powdered and liquid concentrate beverages, such as Crystal Light, Tang and MiO. The North American Grocery Export Business products and brands span all grocery business lines, except for powdered and liquid concentrate beverages and certain products sold under brands, such as Philadelphia cream cheese and Kraftmayonnaise, which marketed and sold locally by Kraft ParentCo in countries outside the United States and Canada.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Food and beverage operator Kraft Foods (KRFT) announced a 5% dividend increase to 52.5 cents per share, payable Oct. 21 to shareholders of record as of Oct. 11.
  KRFT Dividend Yield: 3.93%

• [By Dan Caplinger]

  ConAgra (NYSE: CAG  ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and investors have increasingly doubted whether the food giant can hold its own in an increasingly competitive environment in the industry. With Nestle (NASDAQOTH: NSRGY  ) and Kraft Foods (NASDAQ: KRFT  ) both having held up much better since August than ConAgra has, skeptics are pointing at ConAgra's lack of earnings growth as a reason to doubt its capacity for future success.

• [By abirk]

  SodaStream products are sold in over 64,000 retail stores in 47 countries including home and electrical appliance stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets, department stores and convenience stores. Companies like SodaStream have the potential to add to shareholders' wealth. Given the tremendous addressable market, soda companies can continue to march forward. The company has successfully managed to beat analysts' estimates each and every quarter. SODA commenced its IPO in 2010; the stock has more than tripled in value from that time. Partnering with Kraft Foods (KRFT) is also a potential move taken by the company. This is a strategic step taken by SodaStream, as it should increase consumer awareness and credibility for both the brand and the home carbonation category.

• [By James E. Brumley]

  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).

Top Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: B&G Foods Inc (BGS)

B&G Foods, Inc. (B&G Foods), incorporated on November 25, 1996, manufactures, sells and distributes a range of branded shelf-stable food and household products across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Company complements its branded product retail sales with institutional and food service sales and limited private labels sales. On October 31, 2012,the Company acquired New York Style, Devonsheer, JJ Flats and Old London brands from Chipita America, Inc. The Company's Ortega brand and its products span the shelf-stable Mexican food segment including taco shells, tortillas, seasonings, dinner kits, taco sauces, peppers, refried beans, salsas and related food products. The Company new product offerings include Ortega whole grain corn taco shells and Ortega reduced sodium taco seasoning. Its Maple Grove Farms of Vermont brand is apure maple syrup sold in the United States. Other products under the Maple Grove Farms of Vermont label include a line of gourmet salad dressings, sugar free syrups, marinades, fruit syrups, confections, pancake mixes and organic products. The Cream of Wheat brand is a brand of hot cereals sold in the United States. Cream of Wheat is available in Original 10-minute, 21/2 minute and one-minute versions, and also in instant packets of Original and other flavors. The Company also offers Cream of Rice, a rice-based hot cereal. In July 2013, B&G Foods Inc announced that it has completed the acquisition of Robert's American Gourmet Food, LLC dba Pirate Brands from VMG Partners. In October 2013, B&G Foods Inc acquired Rickland Orchards LLC.

The Mrs. Dash brand of salt-free seasonings is available in more than a dozen blends. The Polaner brand consists of a range of fruit-based spreads as well as jarred wet spices such as chopped garlic and oregano. Polaner All Fruit is a national brand of fruit-juice sweetened fruit spread. The spreads are available in more than a dozen flavors. Polaner Sugar Free preserves are the brand of sugar free preserves nationally. The L! as Palmas brand primarily includes authentic Mexican enchilada sauce, chili sauce and various pepper products. The Bloch & Guggenheimer (B&G) brand and its pickle, pepper and relish products consists of shelf-stable pickles, peppers, relishes, olives and other related specialty items. The B&M brand is the original brand of brick-oven baked beans and remains authentic baked beans. The B&M line includes a range of baked beans and brown bread. The Underwood brand's (Underwood Devil) logo is used for a prepackaged food product in the United States. Underwood meat spreads, include deviled ham, white-meat chicken, roast beef and liverwurst.The New York Style brand includes Original Bagel Crisps, Mini Bagel Crisps, Pita Chips and Panetini Italian Toast.

The Ac'cent brand is a all-natural flavor enhancer for meat preparation and is generally used on beef, poultry, fish and vegetables. The Company offers a line of pasta sauces, seasonings, cooking stocks, mustards, salsas, pepper sauces, dip mixes and cooking sprays under the Emeril's brand name. The Old London brand offers a variety of flavors available in melba toasts, melba rounds and other snacks. Old London also markets specialty snacks under the Devonsheer and JJ Flats names. The Trappey's brand include peppers and hot sauces, including Trappey's Red Devil. The Don Pepino and Sclafani brands primarily include pizza and spaghetti sauces, whole and crushed tomatoes and tomato puree. The Grandma's brand of molasses include molasses sold in the United States. Grandma's molasses products are offered in two styles: Grandma's Original Molasses and Grandma's Robust Molasses. The Joan of Arc brand, which originated in 1895, includes a full range of canned beans including kidney, chili and other varieties.

The Regina brand includes vinegars and cooking wines. Regina products are commonly used in the preparation of salad dressings as well as in a variety of recipe applications, including sauces, marinades and soups. The Static Guard brand i! nclude th! e anti-static spray category. The Sugar Twin brand is a calorie free sugar substitute. The Baker's Joy brand include no-stick baking spray with flour. The Wright's brand is an all-natural seasoning that reproduces the flavor and aroma of pit smoking in meats, chicken and fish. Wright's is offered in three flavors: Hickory, Mesquite and Applewood. The Brer Rabbit brand offers mild and full-flavored molasses as well as blackstrap molasses. Mild molasses is designed for table use and full-flavored molasses is typically used in baking, barbeque sauces and as a breakfast syrup. The Sa-son brand is a flavor enhancer used primarily for Puerto Rican and Hispanic food preparation. The product is generally used on beef, poultry, fish and vegetables. The brand's flavor enhancer is offered in four flavors: Original, Coriander and Achiote, Garlic and Onion, and Tomato. The Company also offers reduced sodium versions of Sa-son. The Vermont Maid brand include maple-flavored syrup under the brand name. Vermont Maid syrup is available in regular, sugar-free and sugar-free butter varieties. The Molly McButter brand include the butter sprinkles category. Molly McButter is an all natural sprinkle, available in butter and cheese flavors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Branded shelf-stable foods distributor B&G Foods (BGS) raised its quarterly dividend 3% to 34 cents per share, payable April 30 to shareholders of record as of March 31. With a yield of more than 4.5%, BGS stock has the highest yield on this week’s list of dividend stocks.
  BGS Dividend Yield: 4.52%

• [By Marc Bastow]

  Food and household products distributor B&G Foods (BGS) raised its quarterly dividend 3.1% t0 33 cents per share, payable Jan. 30, 2014, to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31, 2013.
  BGS Dividend Yield: 3.77%

Top Food Stocks To Buy Right Now: Paradise Inc (PARF)

Paradise, Inc., incorporated in September, 1961, conducts operations through two business segments: Candied Fruit and Molded Plastics. The Candied Fruit segment is engaged in the production of candied fruit, a basic fruitcake ingredient, sold to manufacturing bakers, institutional users, and retailers for use in home baking. Based on market conditions, it is also engaged in the processing of frozen strawberry products for sale to commercial and institutional users, such as preservers, dairies and drink manufacturers. The Molded Plastics segment is engaged in the production of plastic containers for the Company�� products and other molded plastics for sale to unaffiliated customers.

During the year ended December 31, 2011, in terms of candied fruit sales, approximately 20% were shipped to manufacturing bakers and other institutional users, with the balance being sold through supermarkets and other retail outlets for ultimate use in the home. Sales to retail outlets are usually generated through registered food brokers operating in exclusively franchised territories.

The Company�� trademarks Paradise, Dixie, Mor-Fruit and Sun-Ripe are registered with the appropriate Federal and State authorities for use on the Company�� candied fruit. During 2011, the Company derived approximately 15% of its consolidated net sales from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Geoff Gannon]

  What is the advantage of being a huge company? There are some. For one, we know the business is ��or was ��growable. A lot of small companies stay small because their circle of competence is small. Paradise (PARF) is an over the counter stock. It has a market cap of $10 million. And it dominates the candied fruit market in the U.S. Why isn�� the company bigger?