Due processed: rating kids' food.

What do Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Wheat cereal, Weight Watchers Microwave Popcorn, Healthy Choice frozen Macaroni and Cheese, and Ore-Ida Crinkle Fries have in common?

They're among the "best" processed foods that are widely consumed by---or marketed to--children, according to a group of 11 experts in heart disease, cancer, hypertension, dentistry, toxicology, pediatrics, and nutrition education.

The Committee on Children's Processed Foods, which was convened by CSPI, evaluated thousands of brandname foods for fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, fiber, and additives.

Its goal was to set standards that would encourage the food industry to produce healthier children's foods.

To earn a "Best" (*) rating, a food had to meet more than a half-dozen criteria. Among them:

* Fat. No more than 30 percent of calories or three grams per serving.

* Saturated fat. No more than ten percent of calories or one gram per serving.

* Sodium. No more than two milligrams per calorie or 140 mg per serving.

* Added sugar. No more than 20 percent of calories or four grams per serving.

* Food safety. No artificial colorings, aspartame, BHA, BHT, caffeine, MSG, HVP, saccharin, sodium nitrite, or sulrites.

About 100 foods qualified. Not a single cookie, frozen dinner or dessert, fast-food meal, granola bar, hot dog, or luncheon meat was among them. For those categories, the committee offered parents a list of .foods that were either "Second Best" (**) or, if there were none, "Best of a Bad Lot" (***).

Here are some of the 19 food categories that the committee looked at. (Adults take note: You don't have to prove you're a kid before you can buy these foods.)

The committee was headed by Marion Nestle of New York University. It included Gladys Block of the University of California at Berkeley, Peter O. Kwiterovich of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and Gerald S. Berenson of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.

For a copy of the committee's 18-page report, send $5.00 to: CSPI--Kids' Food Report, Suite 300, 1875 Connecticut Ave. N.W, Washington, D.C. 20009.

Breakfast Cereals

  * Alpen (no salt or sugar added)
    Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Wheat
    Old Fashioned or Quick Oats
    Post Grape-Nuts
    Weetabix
    Wheatena
  ** Cheerios, Kix, Total, or Wheaties
     Kellogg's Bran Flakes
     Nabisco Shredded Wheat
     Ralston High Fiber Hot
     Regular or Quick Cream of Wheat
  Cookies
  * None
  ** None
  *** Archway Molasses
      Barbara's Bakery Oatmeal Raisin
      Frookies Fat Free +, Fruitins +, or Animal
        Frackers
      Health Valley Fat-Free Fruit Centers+,
        Fat-Free +, or Fat-Free Fruit Jumbos +
      Heaven Scent+
      Natures Warehouse No Fat Added+,
        Carob Fudge, or Cinnamon Nut
      New Morning Grahams
      Pepperidge Farm Wholesome Choice Carrot
        Walnut
      Small World Animal Crackers
      Westbrae Natural DinoSnaps
  Luncheon Meats
  * None
  ** None
  *** Butterball Roasted Turkey Breast
      Eckrich Lite Roasted Turkey Breast
      Mr. Turkey Turkey Breast
      Weaver Turkey Breast
  Pizza
  * Rice-Crust Soy Cheese
    Soypreme French Bread Garden
      Patch or Whole Wheat Cheese
      Style
    Special Delivery Soya Kaas or Cheese
    Tree Tavern Pizsoy
  ** Au Naturel French Bread Garden
      Patch
     McCain Ellio's Healthy Slices+
     Rice-Crust Italian Cheeses
     Tombstone Light Vegetable 8"
     Totino's Pan Three Cheese
  Chips, Pretzels,
     Popcorn
  * Arrowhead Mills
      Blue or Yellow
      Corn Curls (unsalted)
    Baja Bakery Rice & Bean Light Tortilla
      Bites+
    Guiltless Gourmet No Oil Tortilla Chips+
    Skinny's Corn Chips+
    Weight Watchers Microwave Popcorn
    unsalted pretzels, all brands
  ** Doritos Light Nacho Tortilla Chips
+ = entire line
1   except Chocolate Peanut Butter Twist
2   except Vanilla
3   except White Chocolate Almond, Pralines &
     Pecans, Espresso Mocha Almond Chip, Mint
     Carob Almond, and Butter Pecan
4   except Mocha Almond Fudge and Mint
    Chocolate Chip

Soup

  * Campbell's Split Pea, Chicken with
      Noodles, or Tomato (all Low Sodium)
    Hain Split Pea No Salt
    Pritikin Split Pea, Lentil, Minestrone, or
      Vegetable
    Spice Hunter Quick & Natural+
  **  Pritikin Chicken Vegetable,
       Tomato, Chicken with Pasta, or
       Chicken Gumbo
    Campbell's Healthy Request Tomato
  Hot Dogs
  * None
  ** None
  *** Healthy Choice jumbo
      Hormel Light & Lean
       97% Fat Free
      LightLife Smart Dogs
      Oscar Meyer Healthy
       Favorites
      Yves Tofu Wieners
  Frozen Desserts
  * None
  ** None
  *** Ben & Jerry's
        Banana Strawberry,
        Blueberry Cheesecake, Chocolate, or Raspberry
        Frozen Yogurt
      Colombo Shoppe Style Frozen Yogurt+t
      Healthy Choice Butter Pecan Crunch, Chocolate,
        Coffee Toffee Crunch, Double Fudge Swirl, or
        Strawberry
      Light N' Lively Coffee Ice Milk
      Sealtest Free Frozen Dessert+2
      Stars Nonfat Frozen Yogurt+3
      Stonyfield Farms Frozen Yogurt+4
      Sweet 'N Low Peach Swirl Frozen Yogurt
      Weight Watchers Fat Free Chocolate or
        Chocolate Swirl