Sarah Katz, 21, had a heart condition and died hours after she drank Panera’s Charged Lemonade, a large cup of which contains more caffeine than Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined.

All Panera Bread restaurants are now displaying “enhanced” disclosures about the restaurant chain’s highly caffeinated lemonade, a spokesperson said Saturday, following a lawsuit that was filed by the family of a young woman who died after drinking the beverage.

Monday’s lawsuit, which was first obtained by NBC News, alleges that Sarah Katz, an Ivy League student with a heart condition, died after she drank Panera’s Charged Lemonade last year.

A large Charged Lemonade contains 390 milligrams — nearly the 400-milligram daily maximum of caffeine that the Food and Drug Administration says healthy adults can safely consume.

  • variaatio
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    8 months ago

    Whatever it is called with that kind of caffeine content you warning label it with listing of exactly how much caffeine it has. Well maybe unless it is named literally “coffee” and is plain brewed coffee and at that brewed coffee with the normal levels of caffeine coffee contains.

    Ones frappe, whippazino also better have needed labels in cases, since given all they mix how the heck one is to know what exactly is the contents. Oh this is extra special “angry frappe” with double squared shot expresso, so exactly how much caffeine is that dear seller per one glass? I just thought you put chili in it or something to make it “angry”, but has literally multiple times more caffeine content.

    This is why all the energy drinks atleast where I live have the ever present “contains high amount of caffeine x mg/100ml”.

    You sell something like that as counter served item with no packaging label to read, well now your menu list must contains at minimum highlights. Something like “our special drunk (HC)” and then somewhere on the menu there reads “HC means high in caffeine”. Then obviously at the counter must be a full labeling booklet of “here is our every product from the plainest brewed coffee to our jumbo mega sandwich and special brew beverage with full nutritional information and ingredients”

    Just like one can’t sell say a pastry in cafe with nut creme filling with out having a big marker on all the menus “contains nuts, nut allergies bevare”. Since similarly nut allergic consuming nuts can be life threatening, well for some people consuming caffeine isn’t healthy and must be disclosed.

      • MickeySwitcherooney@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        8 months ago

        Problem is I don’t think the average person knows caffeine dosage. It should really say “As much caffeine as four coffees” or “a fuckload of caffeine” not “400mg caffeine”.

        • Default_Defect@midwest.social
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          8 months ago

          When you have health concerns like the girl did, these are things you really should be aware of on your own. Like I can’t have grapefruit juice because of the meds I take, but I don’t demand large signage on everything that might have some in it.

        • pokemaster787@ani.social
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          8 months ago

          What it should say is “Contains 98% of the FDA’s daily recommended maximum caffeine dosage, do not drink other caffeinated beverages in the same day”

          • PurplePropagule@sh.itjust.works
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            8 months ago

            Sure, if you want to put that label on most coffees as well since the lemonade has the same caffeine per ml. Then you get to the point of having everything labeled so everyone will naturally ignore it.

            • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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              8 months ago

              Correction, 2/3 the caffeine per ml of most coffees.

              It’s downright reasonable for a regular-driver beverage if you don’t have a heart problem.

        • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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          8 months ago

          “As much caffeine as four coffees”

          They’d be sued in a heartbeat. It has less caffeine than a large iced coffee at the most popular chain in the US. It has as much caffeine as a medium ice coffee. Served in a cup the size of a large iced coffee. I’m sure they were very careful about being accused of the opposite of what happened.

        • Neve8028@lemm.ee
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          8 months ago

          It’s the same amount of caffeine as coffee has. It literally says it on the sign.

          • LilB0kChoy@lemm.ee
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            8 months ago

            A regular cup of Cafe Blend Dark Roast Coffee at Panera, has 268 mg for a 20-oz cup.

            • Neve8028@lemm.ee
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              8 months ago

              Ok so it actually has less caffeine then because the lemonade has 260mg/20 fl oz. Are you looking at the calorie count by mistake? Either way, a 8mg difference isn’t that significant because different coffees will have variations in caffeine content along the same lines.

              • abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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                8 months ago

                No he’s repeating the argument the family’s lawyer made. That a butt-fucking-massive megapint (sorry Depp) of this has more caffeine than a little cup of the lowest-caffeine-content hot coffee.

                People are forgetting that she got a large, and if she knew it was caffeinated, they have no case and nobody should be bitching this “not nearly as strong as light-roast-coffee” beverage is on the mean streets with hard drugs like pop rocks and pez.