NEW YORK CITY - The soft drink companies are out in full force to squash the proposed New York City ban on large soda sizes, the New York Times reports. The industry started New Yorker for Beverage Choices, which has run ads framing the debate as a matter of freedom, not obesity.

The American Beverage Association is leading the charge. We are "prepared to utilize whatever resources are necessary," for the ban€™s defeat," said coalition spokesman Eliot Hoff.

On the other side, New York City has continued its campaign started in 2009 that ties drinking soda to obesity. In late May, Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed the ban of sweetened drinks in sizes larger than 16 ounces in foodservice locations, which encompasses sports arenas and movie theaters.

New York City€™s Board of Health has indicated it will support the mayor€™s proposal. The board will hold a public hearing later this month. "There€™s an impartial group of health experts who are going to make the decision," said Howard Wolfson, a deputy mayor. "I think they will be influenced by science, and not any P.R. campaign."

Recently, the mayor of Cambridge, Mass., said she wanted the city to enact a similar ban. Sen. Frank Lautenburg (D-NJ) has asked for the federal government to fund a study to investigate if there is a link between obesity and sugared drinks.