Panera Bread will stop selling its hyper-caffeinated drinks that have been blamed for causing cardiac issues in several people, including at least two deaths.
The company did not say that the change was linked to wrongful death lawsuits over the Charged Lemonade drinks; a Panera spokesperson told NBC News that its discontinuation was part of a “menu transformation.” Bloomberg reported that the Charged Lemonade will be replaced with other drinks in the next two weeks.
The chain was first slapped with a lawsuit in October, when the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old college student with a heart condition, alleged she went into cardiac arrest and died after drinking a Charged Lemonade drink. In December, another family sued Panera, alleging that their relative Dennis Brown, 46, had a fatal cardiac arrest after drinking three Charged Lemonades.
In January, a 28-year-old woman also sued Panera, alleging that the drink caused her to have “permanent cardiac injuries.” Lauren Skerritt said in the lawsuit that she was a competitive athlete who had no underlying health injuries, but that she experienced cardiac issues after drinking two and a half Charged Lemonades.
Panera said it was “saddened” by the deaths but that the wrongful death lawsuits had no merit. It did, however, add warnings to the description of the drinks in its restaurants and on its website.
A large, 30-fluid ounce Charged Lemonade drink can have up to 302 milligrams of caffeine. In comparison, an eight-ounce can of Red Bull has 80 milligrams of caffeine, and a 16-ounce can of Monster energy drink contains 160 milligrams of caffeine. The original Four Loko, an infamous alcoholic energy drink that reportedly sent multiple young people to the emergency room in the early aughts, had 156 milligrams of caffeine in a 23.5-ounce can. (Four Loko removed caffeine from the drink in 2010.)
The Food and Drug Administration says that 400 milligrams of caffeine — or about four to five cups of coffee — is generally safe for healthy adults.
