The recently published Britvic Soft Drinks Review reveals that soft drinks increased in value sales by +0.4 per cent to £7.6 billion in 2014 in the UK.

Paul Graham, Britvic GB managing director GB, says, "2014 was the year when the grocery and convenience channel held steady and showed its true resilience in the face of shifting consumer purchasing patterns and wider environmental challenges.

"Shaped by multiple consumer trends, such as the increasing focus on the wider health agenda, marketing and legislation, the rise of on-the-go consumption and the demand for added value out of every experience, the soft drinks manufacturers who have been the most successful have adapted their immediate consumption formats and incorporated flavour enhancements, as well as reformatting to provide low or no-calorie variants.

"Although these are challenging and changing times, there are significant growth opportunities for soft drinks in the grocery and convenience channel in 2015 and beyond."

Despite the promising figures, soft drinks have continued to come under attack recently, with several campaigns and calls to action receiving press coverage since the beginning of the year.

In February, the Gulp campaign – which stands for give up loving pop – faced criticism from food and drink organisations for vilifying the soft drinks industry and scare mongering. The project aims to raise awareness of the damaging effects of the consumption of sugary drinks. However, the Food and Drink Federation said, "Some of the Gulp campaigns messages are alarmist and not backed by the considerable body of science currently available on carbohydrates and health. Education and practical support which empowers consumers to make healthier choices holds more long-term value than efforts to vilify popular food or drinks."

Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), added, "If these campaigners were genuinely interested in public health they would be seeking to educate all consumers about the importance of a balanced diet and physical exercise rather than erroneously targeting one product category and making scare mongering claims which are not supported by the evidence."

Since then, weve seen significant coverage of Action on Sugars energy drinks survey, which found that some energy drinks contain up to 20 teaspoons of sugar and claimed that "the products serve no purpose whatsoever but make children addicted to caffeine and habituated to sugars"; calls from the Childrens Food Campaign for a sugary drinks duty, amid claims that it could reduce cases of diet related diseases by tens of thousands as well as save the NHS and public health budgets in England £300 million over 20 years; and last weeks call from the Local Government Association for "soft drink giants [to] stop dragging their heels and commit to minimising sugar to combat obesity crisis".

The BSDAs Partington has been a busy man defending soft drinks.

In the case of the energy drinks survey, he says, "These products are called energy drinks for a reason – they deliver a caffeine or glucose-based energy boost and are now available in a variety of types, flavours and sizes, including a range of low and no calorie options, so that consumers have a much wider choice."

As for the Childrens Food Campaigns call for a sugary drinks duty, Partington says, "This is a flawed model based on misleading figures created by campaigners in support of their cause. The overwhelming evidence suggests that ill health is linked to a range of factors including lifestyle, levels of exercise and overall diet. A tax on soft drinks would adversely impact the poorest in society while doing nothing to curb obesity."

And of the latest attack on soft drinks manufacturers, he points out that, "The UK soft drinks industry has done more than any other sector to promote calorie reduction, through reformulation, smaller pack sizes and increased promotion of low and no calorie drinks – up by nearly 50 per cent last year alone. Its worth remembering that more than 60 per cent of soft drinks now contain no added sugar."

It seems that soft drinks are an easy target for blame placing when it comes to the UKs obesity crisis. But as Partington makes clear, the industry is taking practical steps to help consumers lead healthier lives – product reformulation to reduce calories, increasing availability of smaller pack sizes and significant investment in promotion of low and no calorie options. Such steps will surely do more to help consumers on their journey to healthier living than scare mongering by campaigns and the wider media.