A 21-year-old woman is dead after consuming a Charged Lemonade from Panera Bread. Her parents have alleged the restaurant is at fault in a wrongful death lawsuit. These Charged Lemonade drinks contain very high amounts of caffeine, when compared to most energy drinks.
Sarah Katz experienced cardiac arrest while inside a restaurant after drinking a Charged Lemonade in September 2022. At the time, Katz believed she was drinking a regular lemonade. Sadly, she would pass while being transported to the hospital after suffering a second cardiac arrest. Katz’s parents filed the lawsuit against Panera Bread on Monday, October 23rd, 2023 in Philadelphia. The parents are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
“We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family,” Panera said in a statement. “At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
The medical examiner listed Katz’s death was caused by cardiac arrhythmia due to long QT syndrome (LQTS). LQTS is a disorder that can cause fast and irregular heartbeats, which can be life-threatening. Katz was previously diagnosed with LQTS at 5-years-old. She managed this heart condition by taking medication and limiting her caffeine intake, according to the lawsuit.
Normally, when you grab an energy drink, you know you’re getting large amounts of caffeine. Other ingredients found inside the average energy drink are added sugars, B vitamins, and other legal stimulants. Panera’s Charged Lemonades contain sugar, caffeine, coffee extract, and guarana extract. Speaking from personal experience, these Charged Lemonades can make you feel wired from the amount of caffeine in them. Panera does break down the milligrams (mg) of caffeine in each cup size for the drinks, but not in any easy-to-find large print.
The lawsuit alleges that Panera Bread misled Katz and other consumers by not labeling the Charged Lemonade an energy drink. “Instead, Defendants market, advertise, and sell Panera Charged Lemonade as a product that is ‘Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast Coffee.” The lawsuit adds that in stores, Panera “does not specify what size of Panera Dark Roast coffee is akin to a Panera Charged Lemonade,” making the comparison vague.
We’ll let you know what we hear about this and other news.
