Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade is linked to demise in lawsuit

Meals Information

The massive 30-ounce Charged Lemonade comprises 390 milligrams, in accordance with the corporate’s web site.

Panera Bread.
Bloomberg picture by Luke Sharrett

By Amanda Holpuch, New York Instances Service

A university scholar with a coronary heart situation died after she drank a closely caffeinated drink from Panera Bread, doubtless considering it had a secure quantity of caffeine, her mother and father mentioned in a lawsuit filed Monday.

The lawsuit mentioned that the corporate “didn’t correctly warn” clients concerning the potential risks of its Charged Lemonade and misleadingly marketed the drink as “clear,” although the big measurement has extra caffeine than a 12-ounce Crimson Bull and a 16-ounce Monster Vitality Drink mixed.

The coed, Sarah Katz, 21, drank Panera’s Charged Lemonade in September 2022, and died later that day, in accordance with the lawsuit, filed within the Philadelphia Court docket of Widespread Pleas.

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Katz’s coronary heart situation, Lengthy QT Sort 1 Syndrome, impacts {the electrical} system that controls an individual’s heartbeat, the grievance mentioned. She was identified with the situation when she was 5, took day by day remedy and averted power drinks and different extremely caffeinated drinks, the grievance mentioned.

Elizabeth Crawford, a lawyer for the household, mentioned Katz was “actually vigilant” about her well being and drugs. “If she didn’t know that this was an power drink, it makes the household involved about who else doesn’t know,” Crawford mentioned.

The reason for her demise was cardiac arrhythmia brought on by lengthy QT syndrome, in accordance with a replica of the health worker’s report supplied by Crawford. The report doesn’t point out Charged Lemonade.

In a press release, Panera mentioned it was “saddened” to find out about Katz’s demise.

“At Panera, we strongly consider in transparency round our elements,” the assertion mentioned. “We are going to work rapidly to totally examine this matter.”

In accordance with the Meals and Drug Administration, most “wholesome adults” can safely eat as much as 400 milligrams of caffeine per day.

The massive 30-ounce Charged Lemonade comprises 390 milligrams, in accordance with the corporate’s web site. The common 20-ounce serving has 260 milligrams, the positioning says.

On the Panera location in Philadelphia the place Katz purchased the Charged Lemonade on Sept. 10, 2022, the grievance mentioned, the drink was supplied subsequent to drinks that had much less or no caffeine. It was not marketed as an power drink.

This text initially appeared in The New York Instances.