NEW YORK - U.S. beverage and restaurant groups are objecting to advertising campaigns that links their products to disease and amputation, the Financial Times reports.

In an effort to combat its nearly 23% obesity rate, New York City€™s health department has launched a $500,000 campaign encouraging the city€™s residents to eat and drink less.

One ad depicts a boy with an amputated leg pictured behind a diagram displaying the increasing size of soda portions.

"These drinks are important contributors to the obesity problem," said Thomas Farley, New York health commissioner. "The health consequences are severe. The simplest message is to switch out these sugary drinks and switch to another."

Similar campaigns have been launched in Chicago and Seattle, as well as Georgia and Hawaii.

The American Beverage Association (ABA) characterized the campaigns as "stomach turning" and "misleading propaganda."

"It€™s absurd to say that drinking a soda will cause these really extreme health conditions," said Chris Gindlesperger of the ABA. "Our companies are out there providing real help for consumers with more low- and no-calorie beverages."

Gindlesperger said cities and states would better serve their residents by using the campaign funds to build parks and bike paths.

Joy Dubost, director of nutrition and healthy living at the National Restaurant Association, said the goals of the ads are noble but that member companies have already been working to provide healthier offerings.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control released a study last week that reveals obesity rates in the U.S. have leveled off in the past 12 years. However, they remain high, with more than one-third of adults and almost 17% of children obese.

Be sure to read more about the proliferation of the "food police" in the upcoming February issue of NACS Magazine.