Sarah Katz, 21, had a heart condition and died hours after she drank Panera’s Charged Lemonade, a large cup of which contains more caffeine than Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined.

Sarah Katz, 21, had a heart condition and died hours after she drank Panera’s Charged Lemonade, a large cup of which contains more caffeine than Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined.

All Panera Bread restaurants are now displaying “enhanced” disclosures about the restaurant chain’s highly caffeinated lemonade, a spokesperson said Saturday, following a lawsuit that was filed by the family of a young woman who died after drinking the beverage.

Monday’s lawsuit, which was first obtained by NBC News, alleges that Sarah Katz, an Ivy League student with a heart condition, died after she drank Panera’s Charged Lemonade last year.

A large Charged Lemonade contains 390 milligrams — nearly the 400-milligram daily maximum of caffeine that the Food and Drug Administration says healthy adults can safely consume.

  • subignition
    12•1 year ago

    I would expect it to have caffeine content comparable to soda or tea. This 30 oz drink has about as much caffeine as four 12 oz Red Bulls

    edit: It’s not even behind the counter?? At least drip coffee, which is one of the only beverages that can exceed the caffeine content at issue here, doesn’t come sweet enough by default that it’s tempting to have a refill.

    Crawford said if Charged Lemonade is going to remain on the menu, it should be less accessible to customers. She said she thought that it should be behind the counter and that it shouldn’t be eligible for refills.
    “By virtue of it being part of the Unlimited Sip Club, it’s suggesting to consumers that it’s safe to have more than one,” she said. “And that is a big problem because it’s not safe to have one, let alone more than one.”

    • @CaptPretentious
      2•1 year ago

      Drip coffee isn’t kept behind the counter because people can overcaffeinate themselves.

      First off tons of places put out drip coffee in crafts. Example Pizza Ranch. Many restaurants will just drop off a craft of coffee at your table if you ask for it.

      You can literally fill an entire shopping cart with caffeine at the grocery store.