LOS ANGELES/SAN FRANCISCO - Beverage makers, under attack by U.S. public awareness campaigns linking sugary soft drinks to rising obesity rates, have struck back by suing New York City??s health department and hitting up local governments with requests for documents on the science behind their initiatives, Reuters reports.

The public awareness campaigns "have gained favor" among U.S. consumers, Reuters writes, as obesity rates have driven up health care costs.

The soda industry said it is defending its products from "baseless" attacks. As such, soda industry attorneys have filed at least six document requests with public agencies from California to New York.

Earlier this month, the American Beverage Association (ABA) sued New York City??s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, saying the city improperly withheld documents it sought from the Freedom of Information Act.

"Public health departments are going out and aggressively misrepresenting our products in advertising and using taxpayer money to do that," said ABA spokesperson Chris Gindlesperger.

The ABA also sent a letter this past spring to Northern California??s Santa Clara County requesting records relating to its "Rethink Your Drink" education campaign.

For beverage manufacturers, the issue of obesity is "kind of Armageddon," said Tom Pirko, an industry consultant. "What's happening now is that we're seeing a much more active industry that's looking at fighting back now as opposed to just simply trying to make nice."