Conversation is stirring up after a second lawsuit was filed against famous bakery/cafe franchise Panera Bread, blaming the company for a death following consumption of their charged drinks. The family of 46-year-old Dennis Brown filed the lawsuit on December 4th, two months after Brown’s death.
As unpredictable as the death may seem, this is the second lawsuit filed against Panera Bread for a death caused by their charged drinks. On September 10th, 2022, Sarah Katz experienced cardiac arrest after she had also been drinking the charged lemonade. Sarah had been previously diagnosed with Long-QT syndrome type 1, which disrupts one’s potassium ion channels and causes irregular heartbeat activity or palpitations. She was not aware of the amount of caffeine in the charged lemonade before purchasing one.
Though both Brown and Katz had pre-existing heart conditions that made large doses of caffeine more dangerous for them, many customers are still left wondering: Just how dangerous ARE the caffeinated beverages?
Panera Bread offers three types of “Charged drinks.” The Strawberry Lemon Mint Charged Lemonade contains 158-237 mg of caffeine, the Mango Yuzu Citrus Charged Lemonade with 157-235 mg, and their Blood Orange Charged Splash contains 150-219 mg.
The amount of caffeine in a charged drink surprisingly out-caffinates quite a few well-known energy drinks, including Monster and Red Bull. Not to mention, one charged drink could be nearly three-times more caffeinated than one cup of coffee.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) FDA recommends a maximum of 400mg of caffeine a day for the average adult. Just two servings of Panera Bread’s lemonade could go beyond that maximum.
Panera Bread is aware of both Brown and Katz’s deaths and have previously expressed remorse in statements put out by company officials. The franchise has also taken efforts to raise awareness of the amount of caffeine the charged drinks contain.
When purchasing one of Panera Bread’s charged drinks online, users will now be shown a short disclaimer on the top of the screen with the following warning: “Charged Sips, with ice, contain 150-237 mg of CAFFEINE. Consume in moderation. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.” Though the warning is brief, it has clearly been deemed necessary.
Along with the warning, Panera Bread restaurants have now moved the containers for the charged drinks to behind the counter. Presumably to prevent small children from accessing them.
Debate looms over whether Panera Bread’s efforts to publicly display the caffeine amounts for their charged drinks is efficient enough. Either way, more attention is being brought to the franchise’s charged drinks than ever, for better or worse.
