National potato industry leaders have taken exception with the four-part HBO documentary "The Weight of the Nation" because of data it includes describing the role of spuds in the mounting U.S. obesity crisis. The series is based on an Institute of Medicine report released May 8 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Weight of the Nation" conference. The IOM report estimates the nation spends $190.2 billion treating obesity-related illness and concludes America is moving too slow to address the crisis. On the current track, it concludes 42 percent of the U.S. population will be obese by 2030. The series is a joint project of HBO and the IOM. The first two parts, "Consequences" and "Choices," aired Monday, May 14. "Children in Crisis" and "Challenges" aired Tuesday. HBO lists agriculture and the "strong influence of the food and beverage industry" among the driving forces of the obesity epidemic.
