The report, from the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services, urges food companies to develop products that are more nutritious and to "review and revise" its marketing practices. It also suggests that the Children's Advertising Review Unit, which was set up by the industry, consider creating minimum nutrition standards for foods advertised to children.
Consumer groups hailed the report as a step in the right direction. "This is the first acknowledgment by the F.T.C. that there should be nutrition standards for food that's marketed to kids," said Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nutrition advocacy group and frequent critic of junk-food marketing.
But advocates also said that the report's conclusions and recommendations did not go far enough.
"I am disappointed that the report makes only recommendations, without imposing any requirements on an industry largely out of control," Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat from Iowa who has been a vocal critic of junk-food marketing to children, said in a statement. "If industry fails at the task of self-regulation, stronger government action will be necessary."
The Grocery Manufacturers Association, a lobbying group that represents packaged food manufacturers, said that the food industry had already undertaken "initiatives to help families improve their health and wellness." The changes, the group says, include new and reformulated products that are healthier, products that are portion-controlled to have just 100 calories and the addition of "healthy lifestyle messages" on food package labels.
"We welcome the agencies' suggestions regarding other ways in which we might be able to have a positive impact on the health of all consumers, especially children," said C. Manly Molpus, president of the association.
General Mills, one of the largest food companies, says that, partly in response to a similar report done in December by the Institute of Medicine, a scientific advisory group, it has tightened its marketing guidelines. Tom Forsythe, a company spokesman, said that in advertisements aimed at children 12 and under, it will feature only products that have fewer than 175 calories a serving and that meet certain nutritional guidelines, for example, by containing half a serving of whole grains.
These guidelines, however, do not address one ingredient that consumer advocates have frequently cited: sugar, a core ingredient of many of General Mills' children's cereals.
"We believe that calories are the most important thing and that the emphasis on sugar is misplaced," Mr. Forsythe said. He said that General Mills planned to post the new guidelines on its Web site within the next month.
Previously, Kraft had been the only food company to make changes to its marketing guidelines for children.
Yesterday's report took a much softer tone than the earlier report from the Institute of Medicine. That report, which was done at the request of Congress, concluded that food marketing practices geared to children "are out of balance with healthful diets and contribute to an environment that puts their health at risk." The report found that 80 percent to 97 percent of the food products now aimed at children and teenagers were of "poor nutritional quality."
The poor quality of food has helped contribute to rising obesity among children, the institute said. According to government data, 15 percent of children and teenagers in the United States are obese. Rates have tripled among adolescents and doubled among younger children.
The Institute of Medicine said that if the food industry did not make progress within two years, Congress should take action. J. Michael McGinnis, a senior scholar at the institute and one of the authors of the report, called for the creation of a division in the federal Department of Health and Human Services to assess the food industry's progress.
Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services said they planned to "monitor closely" the industry's progress. They did not offer a timeline for changes or suggest what would happen if food companies did not make recommended changes.
Susan Linn, associate director at the Judge Baker Children's Center, a nonprofit group in Boston, said the report gave too much leeway to the industry. "I don't think corporations should be the guardians of public health," Ms. Linn said. "I think the government is going to have to take a more active role if we really want to do something about the marketing of unhealthy food to kids."