Restaurant chain Panera announced Tuesday that it plans to stop selling its Charged Sips caffeinated drinks, which are at the center of several lawsuits.
The company will phase out high-caffeine lemonade drinks nationwide, a spokesperson confirmed to CBS MoneyWatch. As of Tuesday, they were still available for purchase on Panera’s website.
The move comes as Panera revamps its menu to offer new ‘low-caffeine’ drink options claims that caffeinated lemonade drinks caused two deaths. Another plaintiff alleges that Panera’s loaded lemonade left him with long-term heart problems. Panera did not say why it was phasing out loaded drinks. The company has not commented on the pending litigation.
“We’ve listened to more than 30,000 guests about what they want from Panera and then focused on the wide range of beverages we know our guests want – from exciting, on-trend flavors to low-sugar and in caffeine,” Panera said of its recent menu changes. The company’s new beverage offerings include, among other options, a “blueberry lavender lemonade.”
Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old college student with heart disease, died in September 2022 after drinking a loaded lemonade drink. His family filed a lawsuit against Panera alleging that the lemonade drink, which contains higher levels of caffeine than Red Bull and Monster Energy Drink combined, came with no warning.
A second lawsuit alleges that Dennis Brown of Fleming Island, Florida, died of cardiac arrest after drinking three drinks and unknowingly. consuming high levels of caffeineaccording to the lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court.
On his website, Charged Sips drinks contain between 155 and 302 milligrams of caffeine. They come with a warning that they are not recommended for “children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or breastfeeding women.”
Most healthy adults can consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, according to the Mayo Clinic. That’s the approximate equivalent of about four cups of coffee or 10 cans of soda.
