Public health groups and institutions from around the world have urged manufacturers of sugar sweetened beverages to acknowledge the burden of sugar-related diseases in children and limit marketing and advertisement of such products.

In a letter to chief executives of Coca Cola and PepsiCo, the consortium said while consumption of sugary drinks have declined in developed countries like the United States and Europe, these firms are "investing billions of dollars annually to increase sales" in low or middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.