The cream of the crop: Check out the five best-performing F&B stocks on the SGX

They reported the highest ROEs in the past year.

Investors looking to take a bite out of Singapore's listed food and beverage companies will do well to take a look at the sector's five best-performing stocks in the past year.

In terms of return on equity (ROE), local catering firm Select Group is the best performer on the local bourse, according to a report by SGX.

Listed on the Catalist, Select Group boasts a ROE of 35.7%, as well as a dividend indicative yield of 3.8%.

Meanwhile, F&B conglomerate Thai Beverage boasts a 26.2% ROE in the past year, with a 3.6% dividend indicative yield.

Local retailer Sheng Siong Group came in third with a ROE of 23.8%, followed by Japan Food Holdings with an ROE of 17.8%.

The fifth best-performing F&B stock on the SGX is curry puff maker Old Chang Kee, which has a ROE of 16.2%.

ROE is expressed as a percentage and simply measures profitability of the company against the average outstanding common shareholders’ equity. It is the most widely used measure of how well management uses shareholders' funds, with those funds representing the balance sheet value of shareholders' interest in a company.