Dear Mr. Batz,

Thank you for your “open letter” and detailed comments. You are right, the paragraph referring to you is from an article originally posted on msnbc.com. It is not a direct quote and I took the liberty to paraphrase in broad strokes what I found there. For this reason, I did not state, “…said Dr. Michael Batz” but, “according to…,” which allows by grammatical convention for some inaccuracy in terms of wording (but not in content, I admit).

I apologize for not having tried to contact you directly in this matter and for not asking for a direct quote. I probably should have.

What you said according to the msnbc article seemed appropriate (“People simply don’t know you’re eating it”). In the context of my own writing, paraphrasing your statement to “People simply don’t know what they are eating…,” seemed close enough to maintain the original meaning. However, I can see how that may have distorted your intent (instead of writing “it” – presumably meat glue – I wrote “what”). Does that significantly change what you meant to say? If so, I stand corrected.

I also wholeheartedly agree with you that consumers have the right to be angry when they are (sometimes purposefully) left in the dark about the products they are being offered, and no, I’m not suggesting that they are overreacting by saying they are “nervous” – quite to the contrary.

With regards to your academic qualification, you are right again. As a food safety researcher you very well may have had a PhD. Experience tells me that when it comes to members of the science community, it is better to err in favor of academic titles.

Having said all that, I’m very glad you took the time to share with me your concerns . I will include the relevant sections of your criticism (perhaps not the Gooding/Cruise part) in the comment box below the article to set the record straight.

Thank you again for your feedback. It is much appreciated.

Kind regards,
Timi Gustafson RD

A Yale Rudd Center report reviewed existing research on weight stigma in children and adolescents, with attention to the nature and extent of weight bias toward obese youths and to the primary sources of stigma in their lives, including peers, educators, and parents. As a result of weight bias and discrimination, obese children suffer psychological, social, and health-related consequences. http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/bias/StigmaObesityChildrensHealth.pdf

Rebecca Puhl of the Rudd Center further brings to light the stigmatization of large children in the following article.
http://www.obesityaction.org/magazine/oacnews7/Childhood%20Obesity%20and%20Stigma.pdf

The NAAFA Child Advocacy Toolkit shows how Health At Every Size® takes the focus off weight and directs it to healthful eating and enjoyable movement. It addresses the bullying, building positive self-image and eliminating stigmatization of large children. The CATK lists resources available to parents, educators or caregivers for educational materials, curriculum and programming that is beneficial for all children. It can be found at:
http://issuu.com/naafa/docs/naafa_childadvocacy2011combined_v04?viewMode=magazine&mode=embed

Thank you for your comment. The DVD, “Tall Blondes,” by Lynn Sherr is available at amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Tall-Blondes-Lynn-Sherr/dp/B0006HC078/ref=pd_sim_b_5)