Panera Bread Remove Item After Lawsuit
Panera Bread, a popular restaurant chain, announced on Tuesday that it will be phasing out its highly caffeinated beverage, Charged Lemonade, nationwide. The decision comes after multiple lawsuits were filed against the company, claiming that the beverage was responsible for the deaths of at least two individuals.
In October, the family of 21-year-old Sarah Katz, a University of Pennsylvania student with a heart condition, filed a lawsuit against Panera stating that the Charged Lemonade was the cause of her death. Another lawsuit was filed in December by the family of Dennis Brown, a Florida man with a chromosomal deficiency disorder, who also died after consuming the Charged Lemonade. A third lawsuit was filed by Lauren Skerritt, a 28-year-old Rhode Island woman, who claims she suffered permanent cardiac injuries from the beverage.
A spokesperson for Panera stated that the company’s decision to discontinue the Charged Lemonade is part of a “recent menu transformation” based on feedback from over 30,000 guests. The spokesperson also mentioned that Panera is focusing on offering a variety of beverages that cater to the desires of their customers, including low-sugar and low-caffeine options.
Initially, Panera advertised the Charged Lemonade as a “plant-based and clean” beverage with an equivalent amount of caffeine as their dark roast coffee. However, the lawsuits revealed that the large size of the Charged Lemonade contained more caffeine than any size of the dark roast coffee, leading to an update in the beverage’s nutrition information.
According to the FDA, healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day. Panera has since added more detailed warnings in all of its restaurants and on its website, cautioning customers to consume the Charged Lemonade in moderation, especially pregnant or nursing women, children, and those sensitive to caffeine.
Following the first lawsuit in October, Panera added more detailed disclosures on the beverage’s safety and recommended moderation. A friend of the victim, Victoria Rose Conroy, stated that Sarah Katz was not aware of the high caffeine content in the Charged Lemonade and would not have consumed it if she had known.
Panera has expressed sympathy for the families of the victims but maintained that the unfortunate incidents were not caused by their products. The company has not commented on the third lawsuit filed in January.
On Monday evening, two Panera employees confirmed that they received memos stating that the Charged Lemonade would no longer be available and would be replaced within two weeks. However, not all employees were aware of the decision, as some associates in a New York City Panera location said they had not heard about the discontinuation of the beverage.
Elizabeth Crawford, a legal representative for the plaintiffs, stated that Panera’s decision to discontinue the Charged Lemonade was a positive step towards preventing similar incidents in the future. She added that though it would not bring back the lives lost, it would prevent others from suffering the same fate.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Crawford emphasized that the main goal of the lawsuits was to ensure that the beverage was no longer on the market, therefore preventing further harm to consumers. She expressed hope that the discontinuation of the Charged Lemonade would serve as a lesson to other companies and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.