I hope you're reading this with your craft beer in one hand and your craft soda in the other... No, that's a lie. And that's "craft" not "Kraft", even though Kraft had some recent bad publicity re our national US dietitian academy. But yeah, we're covering "craft" food.
Strolled through your supermarket lately and seen craft beer? Maybe craft bread or craft cheese? Or most recently, craft soda? The more 'whole-foods' your supermarket is, the more likely you've seen them.
What the heck is 'craft' anyway?
Good question! I searched, but alas I could not find how the FDA defines 'craft' with relation to food. This leads me to believe there is no legally binding definition. Kind of like other claims commonly used to persuade you to buy food... Like 'natural', or 'wholesome'.

The other catch word is 'artisan'. Definition: "Traditionally handmade, rural or pastoral goods but are also now
commonly made on a larger scale". Thank you wikipedia for that definition.
Marketing
Clever. Makes you think you're special. Makes you think your beer or bread was made just for you. Makes you think your brew was crafted by the artistic, organic hands of Samuel Adams himself, rather than the finance-focused marketing department.
Craft soda or crafty soda? A reality check.
The ingredients in a carbonated beverage: Carbonated water, a sweetener, an acid, spices/flavours.
How do these differ between craft and conventional?
- Craft tends to use 'purified' carbonated water, not just regular carbonated water
- Note: Whoopty-damn-do
- Craft uses real sugar, compared with some large companies who use high fructose corn syrup
- Note #1: Based on the research, my opinion is that sugar is preferable to HFCS
- Note #2: Sugar does not make soda healthy
- Note #3: A multitude of studies implicate soda consumption in obesity, type II diabetes, insulin resistance, and ultimately... Death
- Craft uses an acid like citric acid compared to phosphoric acid (PA)
- Note #1: People blame PA for low bone density
- Note #2: Research shows the phosphorus:calcium ratio in a meal (and overall diet) is important. Saying PA causes low bone density is not correct. A diet high in phosphorus and simultaneously low in calcium, causes low bone density
The soundbite?
Soda is not healthy, period. Your body doesn't care two hoots if you
spent $7 on a craft soda vs $1 on a regular one. If you really want to
treat yourself to a soda, buy the one you like... Just don't delude
yourself into thinking 'craft' is healthier.