Panera Bread, a popular restaurant chain with over 2,000 locations across the United States, faced lawsuits when their Charged Lemonade was the alleged cause of a second death on Oct. 9, 2023.
Dennis Brown, 46, was living in Fleming Island, Florida when he drank three of Panera’s Charged Lemonades consecutively, unaware of the high levels of caffeine they contained. Not long after, he suffered cardiac arrest.
According to a CBS News article about the lawsuit filed by Brown’s family, the Charged Lemonade was “not advertised as an energy drink and was offered alongside Panera’s non caffeinated or less-caffeinated drinks.” The 30-ounce Charged Lemonade contains significantly more caffeine than both Red Bull and Monster energy drinks.
In Sept. 2022, a similar incident occurred involving Sarah Katz, a college student who died after drinking one Charged Lemonade beverage.
As reported by Fox Business, Panera Bread currently faces a third lawsuit by Lauren Skerritt, 28, who claims that she experienced heart palpitations after drinking two and a half Charged Lemonades.
This series of incidents raises questions for Panera Bread customers across the U.S. of whether or not the Charged Lemonade is safe to drink.
The Correlation Between the Consumption of Charged Lemonade and Health Complications
The Charged Lemonade served at Panera Bread is a highly caffeinated beverage. The 30-ounce Charged Lemonade contains 237 milligrams of caffeine and 74 grams of sugar when served with ice. Without ice, the same drink has 390 milligrams of caffeine and 124 grams of sugar.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the average adult can safely consume 400 milligrams of caffeine daily. This means that two 30-ounce Charged Lemonades exceed the FDA’s daily recommended amount of caffeine.
Despite the high amounts of caffeine in the lemonade, Allison Childress, an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University and Chief Clinical Dietitian at the Nutrition and Metabolic Health Institute expressed reduced concern.
“For the general population, this is not going to be harmful to them. But if you’re young, if you’re not habituated to caffeine, and/or if you’ve had a lot of caffeine in the day, then the chances of you having an adverse reaction are higher,” she said in an interview with Verywell.
Brown was known to have been diagnosed with a chromosomal deficiency disorder, developmental delay and ADHD. He also struggled with high blood pressure and intentionally avoided beverages that contained caffeine. Katz was also known to have a heart condition. These underlying health issues were likely the biggest contributing factors that led to their passing.
Added Warning Labels
In response to lawsuits, Panera Bread has changed the labels on their Charged Lemonades in an effort to increase customers’ awareness. This action also included an added section on their website reading “CONTAINS CAFFEINE” and an additional warning that reads: “Use in moderation. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.”
