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Glenview Patch: Glenview Farmers Market Hosts ‘Food Patriots’ Film Screening
Mother Earth News: Antibiotic Resistant Superbugs: The Chicken That Threw Me a Change-Up
Live from the Heartland: Interview with Food Patriots Jeff Spitz
Mother Nature Network: “Food Patriots” starting a conversation about food
Mundelein Review: Citizens promote healthier living
Wired: One Family’s Journey From Foodborne-Illness Victim to “Food Patriots”
Graylake Patch: Local Food Group to Host Free Screening of Food Patriots Documentary
Barrington Patch: Local Food Group to Host Free Screening of Food Patriots Documentary
Glenbrook Torch: Spitz family hatches plan
Northbrook Tower: Fundraising begins for Spitz
Examiner: ‘Food Patriots’ film to offer upbeat approach to improving how America eats
Huntley Patch: McHenry County Organizations Sponsor Food Patriots Event
JamBase: Umphrey’s McGee’s Joel Cummins Auctioning off Keyboard for Food Patriots!
Jennifer Amdur Spitz recently spoke with Anna Davlantes on Good Day Chicago, Fox 32, about her petition to take the Risk of Superbugs out of the School Lunch Program by serving meats raised without antibiotics. More than 166,000 people have already signed– if you haven’t yet, sign on today!
Most countries have a precise type of food that is known worldwide as theirs specifically. Sometimes it almost becomes a stereotype to that country and culture. Italy has pizza, France has baguettes, Japan has sushi, and Mexico has anything with salsa and queso. But what does America have? Oh, right-preservatives.
The US has always prided itself on being a melting pot of sorts, and that pot certainly includes food culture. There are restaurants that range from Thai to Ethiopian and bars that serve brews from Jamaica to the Netherlands. Yes it’s true that the United States claims a few foods and drinks of its own, but what is it really known for? That golden arch of McDonalds is certainly associated with the country where, according to the CDC, one-third of its adult population is obese. The portion sizes served at restaurants in the US are significantly larger to the more manageable sizes in other countries. My sister spent time teaching in Australia. When she asked her students what they knew about the US, they immediately responded all about the junk food and how the pizzas and burgers were massive.
There is more than one thing to blame when it comes to the US diet. With the busy lifestyle and fast paced mindset that Americans have, it makes sense that our food is manufactured in the same way. We usually want something quick and don’t fully consider what happened to the food on our plate before it got there. We care about quantity over quality.
The US has a reputation now. Fat, sugar, calories and food packed with preservatives have become an American stereotype associated with the foods, snacks and drinks. It was shocking to personally witness how long it takes for bread in the United States to mold compared to the fresher European bread. But what if the United Sates turned all of that around? What if its citizens started
demanding fresher food and higher quality in the production of its vegetables, fruits and meats? What if America’s change inspired other countries to better their food industries as well? What if there was a simple solution that anyone on any budget could do?
Well I found out the answer to that last question. The simple solution is making a 10% change toward a healthier diet. That could mean buying more organic or locally grown produce, or buying less junk food and instead buying fresh bread, or raising chickens in the backyard. These ideas are the message in the documentary film Food Patriots. A simple change can go a long way. For me as a college student, my change has been bread. I used to search the shelf for the cheapest wheat bread possible which cost about a dollar. It was most likely just dyed white bread so it could be sold as wheat. After hearing the film’s message, I have been buying bread that is true wheat and actually has grains instead of starch. Yeah, it’s a little more expensive, but instead of buying that candy bar at the checkout, I can have healthier bread.
During the 1940’s, the US Department of Agriculture estimated that over 20 million victory gardens were planted. There was an estimated 9-10 million tons of fruits and vegetables harvested from those gardens. This proves that Americans are capable of lots of people making small changes. So whether it’s making a small change in the way we buy groceries, or taking up a new hobby of home canning, (which, according to my mother, is the most patriotic thing a person can do) it doesn’t seem so hard to become a Food Patriot.
When I tell people that my family and I are making an independent film about our misadventures with backyard chickens and calling it Food Patriots, they ask three questions.
The first question is what’s a Food Patriot?
The second question: why did you get chickens?
The third: why are you making a film about this?
Our film is not finished but it answers those questions with a story and you can see excerpts right now at www.foodpatriots.com.
Food Patriots are trying to change the way they eat, buy and teach the next generation about food. The Food Patriots in our film range from Gary Hirshberg to Will Allen and the University of Wisconsin’s entire athletic department. They show us what we can do in our own home, community, school or team to strengthen the connections between our health and our food. Our film will show you what happens when one family tries to document their first steps into the food revolution. For my family this all traces back to a foodborne illness that struck our older son, Sam.
Sam was a big high school athlete who pitched on the varsity baseball team as a freshman. He played defensive line and fullback for the varsity football team. College recruiters and scouts came to his games. He began to lift weights and eat more healthy foods. That’s why it was odd when he came home from school one day with a terrible stomache ache after eating a “healthy choice” chicken Caesar salad for lunch. We thought he would feel better after going to the bathroom. After hours in there he cried out. He had uncontrollable diahrrea. He was bleeding. He could not get up from the toilet.
In order to leave that bathroom and go to the emergency room our strapping son had to wear a diaper. Doctors took a culture and gave him a broad spectrum anti-biotic. We brought Sam back home. He was pale and losing weight rapidly. We fed him chicken broth.
After a few days it was clear that the anti-biotic failed. When the doctor told us the result of the culture, we learned about a foodborne illness called campylobacter, caused by contaminated chicken. It usually lasts 2 – 5 days. They prescribed a different anti-biotic. It failed, too. Sam was dejected. He he felt weaker every day and just wanted to know if we were hiding the truth from him. He asked us point blank if he had stomache cancer. Days went by without improvement. We managed to get an appointment with an expert. We were lucky to find a top internist who unlocked the mystery. He explained that Sam had an anti-biotic resistant form of bacteria, a superbug. He prescribed a more powerful anti-biotic and it worked.
Sam lost 30 pounds, a month of school and his sophomore baseball season. He tells his story in our film which follows his journey to Washington DC with his mom to lobby congress as part of a campaign called Super Moms Against Super Bugs. Some experts say super bugs are spreading throughout our food system mostly through pork and poultry which are fed a lot of anti-biotics.
Food Patriots is our family’s way to spark conversations about the food revolution. Many people are not into this talk of revolution. In fact our own extended family is not into organic food or meat without drugs so they tease us about our “healthy food” film. The banter is in our film. In fact my wife’s brother bet us on camera that our chickens would not last six months, let alone lay a single egg. If you want to see who ends up with egg on their face or just want to learn about this film and opportunities to show it in your community, please contact us.
Seven years ago I had big dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. My fastball topped 86mph. My curve broke from 12:00 to 6:00. And at 15, I was already entering my second season on varsity. Local scouts were drooling. They called almost every night, and even invited me to professional tryouts.
Then I ate a chicken caesar salad that changed my life.
It was two weeks before my first sophomore start and I was rearing to go. I’d added 3 inches and 20 pounds to my frame in the off season and an extra 5mph to the fastball. I owed it to hard work and a healthy diet. Baseball meant the world to me, so I did everything I could to gain an edge. That’s why I went with a chicken caesar salad instead of pizza one day when my teammates and I went to lunch after practice. It was the healthy choice, right?
Three hours later I was doubled over in the back of our car on the way to the emergency room. I had to wear a diaper. The chicken was contaminated with Campylobacter, a food-borne illness. It ate right through the lining of my intestines. Our bathroom was covered in blood.
The doctors had no trouble diagnosing me. Campylobacter is not uncommon. It’s supposed to be treatable with any wide spectrum antibiotic, two to four days tops.
Mine lasted a month. It was a “superbug,” like the ones you’ve heard about on the news.
Nothing would cure me. We tried antibiotic after antibiotic. Nada. I just kept withering away.
By the time it was all said and done I’d dropped 30 pounds. I couldn’t even trot out to the pitcher’s mound without wheezing. My season ended, and so did the calls from scouts.
I never pitched again.
It took me several months to gain my strength back. And when I did I decided to focus on football, a sport that let me feel invincible again. Fortunately, I made a full recovery and went on to play football at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. But a lot of people aren’t as lucky.
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria kill more Americans every year than AIDS. I met the families of some of those victims last year when I went to Washington, D.C. with the Pew Foundation to lobby for the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA, H.R. 965, S. 1211). Their stories inspired me to share mine in a new documentary film called Food Patriots.
Food Patriots is about ordinary people who are taking revolutionary steps to change the food system. The goal of the project is to get consumers to change the way they eat, buy and educate the next generation about food by 10%. That’s 10% more fresh, local and organic foods — 10% from wherever you are on the continuum.
Superbugs are the byproduct of unsustainable meat production, in particular, the overuse of antibiotics in Contained Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Factory farms suck up 70% of America’s antibiotics. And worse, they use most of ‘em on healthy animals!
We have the power to change that. If consumers demand antibiotic-free meat then producers will absolutely give it to them. It’s basic supply and demand. As consumers learn to demand better food they’ll pressure supply and policy changes to our food system.
But change won’t come all at once.
That’s why Food Patriots is asking consumers to make a reasonable 10% shift. It’s doable. And effective.
Chicken caesar salads shouldn’t be able to change lives. So I hope you’ll take the 10% challenge with me, because even if I can’t pitch again, together we can strike antibiotics out of the food system.”
Sam Spitz will graduate from Colgate University in Spring 2013, where he transferred after playing football for UW-Madison. Sam is a frequent speaker with Food Patriots, a film and public engagement campaign by Groundswell Educational Films, and an advocate for a more sustainable food system. He has also appeared on Maryn McKenna’s blog and lobbied with the Pew Foundation in Washington, D.C.
It looks like our kickstarter fundraising campaign for Food Patriots is stirring up a lot of buzz. Check out these recent articles about our efforts.
Wired.com Science Blogs:
One Family’s Journey From Foodborne-Illness Victim to “Food Patriots”
The Spitzes, who are award-winning filmmakers, have documented their journey to a better understanding of our food system in a new film that they are now polishing, called “Food Patriots.” In it, they talk not only about their own dawning understanding of how our food is produced, but also about many other people who are trying to get food grown and distributed in a healthier, more equitable way.
“We were really insulated, as a family, from knowing where our food comes from, and from having the awareness that allows you to make healthy choices,” Jennifer told me. “But this film has a much bigger footprint than just our journey. We’re in it to provide a narrative, and some humor — but what we do is look at people who are inspiring us to think about, buy and eat food differently.”
Barrington Patch:
Local Food Group to Host Free Screening of Food Patriots Documentary
When filmmaker Jeff Spitz’s son, a UW-Madison football player, came down with a food-borne illness that didn’t respond to antibiotics, it was a wake-up call that raised serious questions about food and our food systems. Jeff Spitz weaves his family’s humorous story of planting a garden and raising chickens into a tapestry of stories about people who are changing the way Americans eat, buy and educate the next generation about food. Explore personal stories that show ordinary people taking control of food and creating healthier lives, a less polluted environment, a new sense of community and new jobs.
Northbrook Tower:
Fundraising begins for Spitz
Jennifer and Jeff Spitz, of Northbrook, launched their fundraising campaign at www.KickStarter.com on Nov. 26 to raise money for their “good food movement” and “Food Patriots” film documentary, which is set to start screening in January.
Alright Food Patriots, huddle up! Jeff and Sam have a half-time speech to pump up the whole team for the 4th quarter of our Kickstarter fundraising campaign to finish the documentary. Listen up.
Click here to make your donation now.
We are excited to share this quick update about our Kickstarter campaign to support completion of our film project, Food Patriots. In just the first week, you helped us raise 25% of our goal for the campaign. That’s fantastic. Thank you so much.
If you have not donated yet, please consider pledging today. It’s tax deductible, but remember Kickstarter is an all or nothing program, so we have to meet our goal. And we only have until December 20th.
Please share this link with friends and help us reach out to your networks via Facebook, Twitter, blogs, or even phone calls.
Click here to watch our Kickstarter video and make your pledge.
Thanks in advance for your support.
Jeff & Jennifer
Groundswell Educational Films Co-Founders
We are excited to announce that minutes ago we launched our Kickstarter project to fund the completion of our film, Food Patriots. Today on Cyber Monday we need your pledge and, just as important, your clicks to help us spread the word far and wide.
Please watch our short Kickstarter video, share this message with all your friends and use the opportunity to spark conversations about changing the way we eat, buy and teach the next generation about food.
Here’s what you can do right now:
1) Share, post, and tweet this link to your social media networks. Or forward this email. We appreciate whatever you can do to spread the word.
2) Pledge today! Pledge any amount and receive rewards including the DVD, posters, and/or special access to the premier. Every dollar you can contribute will help us finish this documentary.
Do Both – and let’s work together to build momentum for better food and better health.
Thank you for all of your support!
Jeff & Jennifer
Groundswell Educational Films Co-Founders
After two years of filming stories about people who are changing the way Americans eat, buy and teach the next generation about food, including our own misadventures with backyard chickens, we are nearing completion on our feature length documentary film titled, Food Patriots – a journey into the good food movement.
We are delighted to announce the upcoming launch of our Kickstarter online fundraising campaign. As we recover from our Thanksgiving we will ask you and all fellow Food Patriots for your support to help us bring an inspirational feature documentary film to completion.
How can you help today? Please forward this announcement to everyone who eats and introduce them to Food Patriots at www.foodpatriots.com.
On Monday, November 26th we will send you a link to a new video that introduces our Kickstarter online fundraising campaign. Please donate right away to the campaign. Projects that take off quickly are the most successful on Kickstarter.
Thanks in advance for your support.
Jeff & Jennifer
Groundswell Educational Films Co-Founders
This is another video from Summer Camp 2012, featuring Food Patriots Jeff and Jennifer teaming up with various musicians to spread the message about eating 10% healthier, fresher, more locally, and more organically.
Edited by Food Patriots intern Orrin Luc.