Report wants models to be screened

A report by the British Fashion Council, organizers of London Fashion Week, has stopped short of recommending a ban on ultra-thin models.

But the report, published Friday, says fashion models should be 16 or older and should be screened for eating disorders.

Ultra-thin models were banned from fashion week runways in Madrid, Spain and Milan, Italy, last year. Organizers in Paris, London and elsewhere have come under pressure to do the same.

The British report, written by a panel composed of fashion designers, models and an eating disorder specialist, asked agencies to certify that their models had been examined for eating disorders by an accredited list of medical experts.

Up to 40% of models may have eating disorders, compared with an estimated 3% of the overall population, the report said.