Coca-Cola says a sugar tax isn't a silver bullet to combat obesity.

The soft drinks giant will be attending the Fizz Symposium in Auckland today, which will look at options like taxes, regulations and encouraging young people to reduce consumption.

LISTEN Coca-Cola head Paul Fitzgerald speaks with Mike Hosking

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The company's New Zealand head Paul Fitzgerald said the area of nutritional literacy needs to be addressed.

"By just demonising sugar and soft drink helps people understand what's needed to start addressing the obesity epidemic."

Fitzgerald said taxation is a blunt tool, which makes people shop at supermarkets rather than smaller stores.

He says that's what happened in Mexico.

"It didn't have a major impact on overall consumption but it certainly impacted small businesses that relied upon the sales of our products to help generate income.

Paul Fitzgerald says smaller packs and more low-sugar products has led to a 15 percent reduction in the amount of sugar Coca-Cola puts in its products.