Oil at more than $87 per barrel, a tense Strait of Hormuz, and rising bond yields are pushing many investors to rethink how much risk they really want to carry. Consumer staples stocks, especially larger companies with essential products and dividend potential, often sit on the shortlist when markets turn cautious. This article looks at how the latest energy shock and inflation fears connect to that theme, and introduces 3 stocks from a Defensive Consumer Staples screener that appear to be more positively exposed to the current news backdrop than the wider market.

Ridley (ASX:RIC)

Overview: Ridley Corporation is an animal nutrition and feed company that supplies packaged feeds, bulk stockfeeds, and specialty ingredients for livestock, aquaculture, and pets, supporting the food supply chain in Australia, the United States, New Zealand, and Thailand. Its products range from aqua feeds and bulk ruminant and monogastric feeds to animal proteins, oils, and retail animal feed offerings.

Operations: Ridley generates its revenue primarily from Bulk Stockfeeds at about A$914.7 million and Packaged /Ingredients at about A$410.0 million, with segment adjustments of A$380.3 million and inter segment sales of A$34.8 million.

Market Cap: A$1.0b

Ridley stands out in the current energy shock because animal feed and nutrition tend to stay in demand even when oil spikes or bond yields climb. Analysts still see room for revenue and earnings growth. The business is shifting more towards higher value products such as premium pet food and fertilizers, which could support margins. Investors must weigh that against high debt, a relatively new management team, and exposure to more volatile fertilizer markets. Its P/E sits below many food peers and analyst targets suggest upside, but recent one off gains and an irregular dividend mean you should look closely at the quality of earnings and the upcoming August 20, 2026 results to see whether the improving story is holding together.

Ridley’s shift toward premium pet food and fertilizers could be masking a very different earnings profile than its P/E suggests. It is worth reviewing the 4 key rewards and 3 important warning signs

Utz Brands (UTZ)

Overview: Utz Brands is a long established US snack company that produces and sells a wide range of salty snacks, including potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, pork skins, popcorn, and dips under brands such as Utz, On The Border, Zapp’s, Boulder Canyon, and several others, distributing through retail, wholesale, and direct to consumer channels.

Operations: Utz Brands generates about US$1.4b in revenue from manufacturing, distributing, marketing, and selling snack food products entirely in the United States.

Market Cap: US$1.1b

Utz Brands stands out in a risk off market because salty snacks tend to be small, repeat purchases that many households keep buying even when fuel costs and borrowing costs rise. The company is reshaping its earnings mix through higher margin brands like Boulder Canyon and ongoing supply chain work. Recent Q1 results showed modest sales growth, better adjusted EBITDA margins, and further evidence that mix and productivity changes are gaining traction. Against that, Utz is still loss making, carries higher funding risk due to reliance on external borrowing, and has a relatively new management team, so the unprofitable dividend and execution track record deserve scrutiny. For investors who think the reset is worth the wait, the valuation discount and turnaround plan may make Utz a snack stock worth a closer look.

Utz Brands’ earnings reset, higher margin focus, and funding risk are all colliding right now, and the full picture is not obvious from headlines alone. The analysis report for Utz Brands hints at what the market may be missing.

GrainCorp (ASX:GNC)

Overview: GrainCorp is an agribusiness and processing company that sits at the heart of global food supply chains, running grain storage and export terminals, trading crops like wheat and canola, and producing edible oils, animal nutrition products, and renewable fuel feedstocks for customers across multiple regions.

Operations: GrainCorp generates about A$5.5b in revenue from Agribusiness and A$2.0b from Nutrition & Energy, with eliminations of A$389.4m.

Market Cap: A$1.1b

GrainCorp looks interesting for defensive investors because it connects directly to everyday essentials like grains, edible oils, and animal feed at a time when energy shocks are reminding markets how critical food supply security is. Record oilseed crush volumes, growing animal nutrition operations, and diversification into agri energy and port services are all aimed at turning a cyclical business into a steadier earner, even as recent results show thinner margins and a small profit. The stock trades at a steep discount to some fair value estimates and carries a high dividend yield, but funding risk, weaker interest cover, and weather exposed volumes mean this is not a set and forget holding. The recent interim dividend, soft EPS, and ongoing Middle East tensions make GrainCorp a stock where the details really matter.

GrainCorp’s expansion into agribusiness, nutrition, and energy is giving investors more than a simple crop cycle story. See how the 3 key rewards and 2 important warning signs (2 are major!) could reframe the high yield and weather risk question investors are quietly considering.

The three stocks here are only a starting point, and the full Defensive Consumer Staples screener highlights 23 more large consumer staples companies with equally compelling stories around essential products, dividends, and risk profiles. Use Simply Wall St to identify and analyze the specific catalysts, earnings drivers, and dividend narratives that matter to you so you can focus on the opportunities in this space that best match your own convictions.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.