Panera Bread, a popular food chain, has announced that it will be discontinuing its Charged Lemonade drinks following multiple lawsuits. The drinks have been linked to at least three incidents where individuals suffered from serious health complications or even death.
The first lawsuit was filed by the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student who died after consuming a Charged Lemonade in September 2022. Sarah had a pre-existing heart condition and was unaware of the high caffeine content in the drink.
A second lawsuit was filed by the family of David Brown, a 46-year-old Florida man who suffered cardiac arrest and died on October 9, 2022. David had high blood pressure and did not typically consume energy drinks but believed Charged Sips were safe because they were not advertised as such.
The third lawsuit was filed by Victoria Rose Conroy, a Rhode Island woman who claimed to have suffered permanent heart injuries after consuming the drink. She experienced various health issues including supraventricular tachycardia following her consumption of Charged Lemonade.
Panera Bread has not commented on whether the lawsuits were the reason for discontinuing Charged Lemonade, but they have introduced new low-sugar and low-caffeine drinks to replace it. The company previously advertised Charged Lemonade as having as much caffeine as its Dark Roast coffee, but now updates its nutrition information to reflect the actual caffeine content with ice.
The controversy surrounding Charged Lemonade began in October 2022 when Sarah Katz's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Panera Bread. The second lawsuit was filed by David Brown's family in December 2023, and the third was filed by Victoria Rose Conroy in January 2024.
It is important to note that Charged Lemonade contained caffeine derived from guarana, a plant extract often used in energy drinks, and green coffee extract. The fruit-flavored beverages contained between 155 milligrams and 302 milligrams of caffeine. For comparison, a typical cup of 8-ounce coffee contains 95 milligrams of caffeine, while a 16-ounce can of Monster Energy contains 160 milligrams.
Panera Bread introduced Charged Sips in the spring of 2022 to meet customers' growing demand for natural drinks with functional benefits. However, the high caffeine content proved to be a risk for some individuals, leading to serious health complications and even death.
The discontinuation of Charged Lemonade is a significant move by Panera Bread as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its products. The company has not commented on whether any other menu items will be affected by this decision.
