Sarah Katz, a Penn State student, died on Sept. 10. Her family is filing a lawsuit against Panera Bread, alleging that the cause of her death was their Charged Lemonade.
Katz suffered from a condition called Long QT Syndrome, a heart disorder that causes arrythmias and an increased risk of cardiac arrest. She avoided energy drinks and caffeine because of a recommendation from her doctors.
On the day of her death, she had consumed a 30-ounce Charged Lemonade. She proceeded to go into cardiac arrest a few hours later at a friend’s birthday party. She was taken to the hospital, where she went into cardiac arrest once again and died.
The lawsuit claims that Panera’s Charged Lemonades are dangerous. One large Charged Lemonade contains up to 390 milligrams of caffeine. This is only ten milligrams under the recommended daily dosage for healthy adults. They also contain up to 124 grams of sugar and guarana extract, a stimulating plant extract found in many energy drinks.
Katz’s family is claiming that Panera Bread did not properly disclose the caffeine content of their Charged Lemonades and subsequently caused her death. Panera Bread restaurants in the US are now displaying updated warning signs in-store, on their website and on their app after this incident. The disclosures state that the Charged Lemonades “Contain CAFFEINE – Consume in Moderation. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.”
Elizabeth Crawford, the Katz’s family attorney, said these disclosures “fall short.”
“While the Katz family maintains this toxic super energy drink should not be sold, they believe the fact Panera is placing a warning sign on their super energy drinks for the first time since this dangerous product was introduced is a start,” Crawford said. “Panera’s warning to drink caffeine ‘in moderation’ is an impossibility to follow given the potency of the drink, the size of the drinks they sell, and the fact they are part of the Unlimited Sip Club.”
Many customers have stated that they had no idea how much caffeine the Charged Lemonades contained. A woman named Sarah Baus stated in a TikTok video that she didn’t realize how much caffeine was in the drinks until her husband warned her. She said she drank four to five of them during her workday at Panera because the refills were free. She regularly drank over 1,000 milligrams of caffeine–more than double the recommended limit.
