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.
It does have 390mg large on the machines, but it’s easy to miss. I do think it should be way bigger and have way more contrast, preferably a black/white standardized sticker. It doesn’t have the mg amount on the cups, or if it does, it’s really easy to miss.
I don’t pour my drinks at 4’ distance, and pictures at a closer range make the sign as obviously in-your-face as it looks in person (my experience). It’s approximately the biggest, most blatant signs I’ve seen on a drink dispenser. Not to mention the massive underlined “caffeinated” on the well menu, and the giant floor signs in front of it advertising how caffeinated it is.
Per the sign: “30fl - 430cal - 390mg caffeine”
It does, and that is below the big ad-line about how it’s “as much caffeine as our Dark Roast Coffee”.
The real problem here is that they were REALLY pushing the caffeinated nature of the lemonade as a value-add, so it was (nearly?) impossible to miss. We don’t know the poor girl missed that sign (as it’s unlikely she did), and we can tell that fact because the family’s lawyer is also already pushing a second argument that the “as much caffeine as our dark roast coffee” is misleading.
On the cups. The thing that people actually put up to their face and drink. There’s a billion reasons why you wouldn’t see the sign on the dispenser.
It’s not even close to impossible to miss. It’s really quite easy.
You mean the standard Panera cups that you use for everything from water to iced tea? Panera is self-serve.
So putting a caffeine warning on the cups used for water and sprite is the right answer, in your opinion? Maybe armed guards for every allergen scanning your wrist?
Agree to disagree. A reasonable person wouldn’t miss it if they were paying attention. Do you have any severe food allergies? This really compares favorably to that because typically I get far less warning of an allergen in food than people get of beverages having a little caffeine in them. I don’t get “warning contains lobster” on my food plates.
Yes. These ones. The ones for the charged lemonade.
This isn’t a little caffeine, this is an uncomfortable amount of caffeine for most people who aren’t regular coffee drinkers. Obviously a dangerous amount for people with heart conditions.
Interesting. A lot of Paneras use and advertise regular cups with this (just look at some marketing images to confirm). None o fmy local Paneras have them. I’m not sure there’s a NEED to advertise it on a cup, but why not if it’s custom I guess.
The FDA doesn’t think so. But then, what is “Uncomfortable”? I can’t handle the sugar in a can of Coca Cola. I want giant “fuckton of sugar” warnings. And water. If I drink more than 3 or 4 of my water bottle a day I can end up with real medical issues. Giant “don’t drink to much water” signs on it?
The problem is that 400mg is not that much in the reality at the restaurant where it was purchased. It’s a coffee and sandwich shop, and it’s been known for bottomless coffee forever. Guess what happens if you get a bottomless large coffee and refill it just once? 800mg of caffeine baby.
It’s literally up there with the most amount of caffeine you can get in one item from the restaurant.
Anyway, really boring argument.
That seems like an odd line. So this drink that’s advertised as being just as caffeinated as coffee has a bit less caffeine than coffee. News at 11.
Agreed