Kraft Foods Inc.’s (NYSE: KFT) $16.7 billion unsolicited takeover attempt of Cadbury PLC (NYSE ADR: CBY) is the latest sign of consolidation in the highly competitive food industry, and will likely lead to two things: A bidding war for Cadbury and further consolidation in the sector.

Investing your money and keeping it safe and sound is crucial, especially during a recession. Money Morning’s Mike Cagesso shows you a few DRIP companies to keep your eye on.

Chocolate is one of the world’s best comfort foods. And now the world’s largest bulk chocolate maker might be able to bring investors some relief from the market blues, says Adam Lass. Barry Callebaut AG (SWF:BARN) is planning to start producing in Brazil, where it hopes to tap into a big – and rapidly growing – South American market.

Google Doesn’t Disappoint; Jobless Claims Drop but Remain High; Peabody’s Third Quarter Lights Out; Nucor Profit Doubles; Nokia’s Profit Dip; AMD Narrows Loss; Hershey’s Sweet Surprise; Citi’s Consumer Credit Woes

As the economy heads into recession, there is a lot of talk about what industries and companies will be able to withstand the downturn. Stephanie Grimmett says chocolate maker The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) is showing resilience to the stock market slump. HSY seems to have already bottomed out, and the company is sticking to its growth and dividend targets.

How can you have free trade at $140 a barrel of oil? Oil and energy expert Byron King says the cost of fueling a cargo ship to travel between Los Angeles and Shanghai is nearly $4 million! That’s an 87% increase since 2005. This increase is altering the patterns of free trade.

Brian Hunt brings you the New Highs and Lows of note last week.

Take two leading candy companies, mix in $23 billion, and add in a pinch of investing guru Warren Buffett and what do you get? How about one of the largest candy companies on the planet…