TV is taking up the battle of the bulge, with healthy eating programmes for children and adults beginning to appear on primetime slots.

And with viewers continuing to show a strong appetite for "lifestyle makeover" programmes, "body makeovers" may become the latest craze, according to TV executives gathered in Cannes for the annual MIPCOM international audiovisual trade show.

The rich range of food-related shows offered up at this year's MIPCOM proved popular with the thousands of TV buyers who crammed into this Riviera resort.

There was no shortage of choice on the menu, with programmes from kids' cooking game shows to "weight watcher" style series informing viewers about the effects of their diet on the inside as well the outside of their bodies.

The prime-time hit evening show "You Are What You Eat" on Britain's Channel 4, is one of the programmes fuelling the trend. The show's presenter, Gillian McKeith, an acclaimed and glamorous nutritionist to Hollywood stars such as Jennifer Aniston, persuades and bullies ordinary but mostly overweight people into tackling their problem.

Her tactics have produced some startling results, transforming the shape and health of many of the show's participants, dubbed Britain's worst eaters.

The doctor is now due to take on a new and much bigger challenge with the sequel to the series seeking the participation of an entire street.

But adults are not the main dietary target of television. Instead, an increasing numbers of programmes are being launched around the world exhorting youngsters of all ages to eat healthily and take exercise.

The push to educate youngsters is being spearheaded by some of the world's most influential broadcasters and programme makers, including Britain's BBC and Sesame Workshop in the United States, creator of many loved children's characters including Big Bird and Barney.

Australia, which has a strong reputation as an innovator in health issues and also in children's TV, was early out of the broadcasting starting blocks.

The country's main public broadcaster ABC last year launched "Food for Thought" for the not quite teenage "tweens" age group. The programmes, at 10-15 minutes long, are short enough to sustain children's attention span and packed with information enabling young viewers to make informed decisions about what to eat.

For smaller children, ABC has launched "Active Kids". Aimed at the under fives, the five-minute programmes encourage "littlies" to get off the sofa -- or floor for the smaller ones -- and touch their toes.

"Active Kids" has proved to be a howling success. It now ranks as the most popular show on ABC's afternoon kids slot and the show's 45-minute DVD and video special is flying off the shelves, ABC's Augustus Dulgaro told AFP. A number of North American and Asian broadcasters snapped up the show at MIPCOM.

Even game show formulas are getting in on the act. This autumn, Canada's CBC will target eight- to 12-year-olds with a new live action tween game show, "Surprise! It's Edible! Incredible!" in which two kids -- with the help of some friends - compete to see who can make the tastiest meal.

Unlike adult cooking shows, the competition doesn't take place in a gleaming, hi-tech kitchen but in a boxing ring, suggesting there may be a bit of a mess.

Beyond mere programming, the BBC this summer issued food and nutrition guidelines to control levels of salt, sugar and fats in branded food and beverage products promoted by its licensed TV characters, such as Fimbles.

This means there won't be any fast food deals for BBC characters nationally or internationally, Director of Children's BBC Worldwide Helen McAleer told AFP.

Similar actions are being taken on the other side of the Atlantic where the problem of childhood obesity is particularly acute.

In the United States, 10 percent of all children are diagnosed as clinically obese and 30 percent as overweight. To help combat this, Sesame has launched a "healthy habits" campaign aimed at pre-school children with a new line of books, videos and interactive media.

One food programme that might go down well with adults and children alike could be celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's latest TV challenge. He plans to make school dinners tasty and good, transforming them from stodge into posh nosh.