Food Patriots: It's not rude to ask about food!

In recent years, staples in the American diet have come under scrutiny. With the rise in obesity, particularly in children, and the prevalence of diseases such, as Type II Diabetes and Heart Disease, the question “What’s for dinner?” is becoming increasingly difficult to answer. Concerns about GMOs, the use of pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics in fruits, vegetables, dairy, and meat have caused Americans to pause and consider where their food came from and how it is in turn affecting their health.

In recent years, several films have explored various aspects America’s food industry. Films such as Supersize Me, which provides one man’s experience eating only fast food for a month; Food Inc., which explores food production, including farmed animals and crops; and Fed Up, which focuses on the amount of sugar in the American diet and its effect on the body, are changing the way society thinks about what we eat. Food Patriots joins the line of such films exploring how small localized groups are attempting to change the food industry.

Food Patriots is a new documentary as well as a public engagement campaign to change the way the American people think, buy, eat and talk about food. Their goal is to increase the demand for locally grown and organic fruits, vegetables by 10%, in hopes that many small changes by many will lead to big changes in the food industry for all.

The documentary starts by focusing primarily on Jeff and Jennifer Spitzs' family and their new found interest in food after one of their sons became ill from eating contaminated chicken. The film depicts how the Spitz's changed their eating habits and their lives by starting a farm in their backyard. However, the story extends far beyond the Spitzs' backyard as the family is introduced to local organizations, farmers, high school and college students, chefs, food activists, and many others who share their pursuit for sustainable, organic and healthy food.