Beverage companies need to work together to find a solution for obesity problems, Coca-Cola Co. Chairman and Chief Executive Douglas Daft said on Monday.

"A simplistic government solution will not address the issue," said Daft, who spoke at an industry conference in New York. Coke is the world's largest maker of sugary soft drinks.

Food and beverage companies face increased pressure to improve their products, given a rising trend of obesity among Americans.

McDonald's Corp., the largest fast-food restaurant operator, earlier this year faced lawsuits blaming hamburgers for childhood obesity. And No. 1 North American food maker Kraft Foods Inc. has pledged to improve the formulation of some products to offset the troubling trends.

Daft said beverage companies must provide choices for consumers that support a healthy and active lifestyle, but he said that parents, teachers and schools must help children make sensible choices.

PepsiCo Inc., the No. 2 soft drink company, has removed trans fats from its snack foods, including those under its Frito-Lay label. Trans fats, which give products longer shelf life and are created by a chemical process during manufacturing called hydrogenation, have been linked to heart disease.

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