The fight against too-thin models on the runways has come ashore in the U.S., just weeks before Fashion Week kicks off in Bryant Park.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America issued a formal health initiative and guidelines Friday aimed at boosting awareness and promoting wellness and a healthier working environment in the American fashion industry, according to Newsday's Anne Bratskier.

However, the guidelines have no teeth. While the CFDA Health Initiative stops far short of a mandate on policing the industry, it does assert that "designers share a responsibility to protect women ... sending the message that beauty is health."

Recommendations include: educating the industry to identify the early warning signs of eating disorders, requiring models identified with eating disorders to seek professional help to continue working and providing healthy snacks at shoots.

-- Amanda Barrett, amNY.com