PA - Panera sued by parents after daughter Sarah Katz, 21, died of cardiac arrest after drinking Charged Lemonade, 2022 - Philadelphia, 23 Oct 2023

[Knitpicker]

Along with keeping the machines clean, I would include sanitary within that reasoning. As much as I enjoy mixing my own drink (half Diet Coke and half Coke Cherry) I don't like how messy the drink area is. Meaning dirty. It's often grimy, sticky, there are straws and lids scattered all over. It's not sanitary to be pushing buttons, touching screens and then using the lid dispenser etc. Between the front door and the counter with the napkins and forks, there is often no hand sanitizer offered anymore. Just saying yuck FWIW!

Seems from a business perspective-ending refills is just for more profit.

 

[louvillian08]

I really dislike the implication of victim blaming and the suggestion that the people who died from this drink were acting irresponsibly.

The latest victim apparently didn't know she had a medical condition. But the others were reportedly aware of their health issues and avoided caffeine. Their error was to expect that the lemonade they bought was actually lemonade, and not some energy drink concoction. Yes, there was signage that they missed (although it's unclear how prominent it was back when Sarah Katz died) but it doesn't make them irresponsible.

I feel like it also bears repeating that, so far, all these deaths/injuries happened *before* Panera implemented the changes. I keep seeing the sentiment of "what else is Panera supposed to do?!" but nothing had been done at this point. These cases all happened when Panera was irresponsibly marketing and serving the "lemonade" in stores with minimal signage.

 

[PrairieWind]

They have refused ed the caffeine and sugar content, added warning signs and pop up warnings in the app and online, and advisories that Charged lemonades contain caffeine. They only serve it from behind the counter, no self serve or refills available.

At this point you could serve yourself much more caffeine from their coffee bar. I’m waiting for them to put coffee behind the counter and not allow refills.

Yet you can go to a gas station and buy as many cans of energy drinks as you want, with only small print warnings on the cans.

Not a troll post regarding this sad case...yes energy drinks can be very painful to fatal to someone with a bad heart. Just saying. I used to lean on Red Bull when I worked late. Well, now I can't really drink it anymore.

Anything in excess is unhealthy.

Keep in mind, the Panera Bread charged lemonade had TWICE as much caffeine as a red bull.

 

[acutename]

Keep in mind, the Panera Bread charged lemonade had TWICE as much caffeine as a red bull.

I found this chart/article interesting:

Caffeine content of "energy drinks" - Simple and Practical Mental Health

So-called “energy” drinks have become incredibly popular, especially among young persons but also among older persons. Among these, the product lines that are most popular in the US are Red Bull®, Monster Energy®, and 5-Hour Energy®. Is it just me who finds the term “energy” drinks particularly...

simpleandpractical.com

I think people get in the habit of drinking coffee or an energy drink and do not add up what they are consuming and the drinks available just get more potent.

 

[BaffleMe]

I mean, personal responsibility is fine, but if the article posted above is correct and Panera erroneously stated that the caffeine content was the same as their dark roast, then I think the family has a case. That's just false and dangerous advertising.

MOO.

 

[threesevenninefour]

Keep in mind, the Panera Bread charged lemonade had TWICE as much caffeine as a red bull.

It does, but it is also quite a bit larger. A “large” 30-ounce Charged Lemonade reportedly has 390 mg of caffeine, which is considerably more than the 148 mg in a Red Bull. However a typical Red Bull is 16 oz, meaning that per oz of drink they are actually very comparable in caffeine per oz (13 mg for the lemonade vs. 9.25 mg for the Red Bull). Panera is also now claiming the caffeine content has been reduced to 270 mg per 30 oz, which also drops the mg of caffeine per oz to 9 mg—less than a Red Bull.

 

[PrairieWind]

I found this chart/article interesting:

Caffeine content of "energy drinks" - Simple and Practical Mental Health

So-called “energy” drinks have become incredibly popular, especially among young persons but also among older persons. Among these, the product lines that are most popular in the US are Red Bull®, Monster Energy®, and 5-Hour Energy®. Is it just me who finds the term “energy” drinks particularly...

simpleandpractical.com

I think people get in the habit of drinking coffee or an energy drink and do not add up what they are consuming and the drinks available just get more potent.

I drink coffee. Occasionally soda, as well. You expect caffeine in those beverages. I don't want to tell companies what they should or shouldn't market. But I really just don't understand adding THAT much caffeine to lemonade. Why? A company would know that many customers don't really know how much caffeine is in there. Then stick a "plant based" label on it to make people think it is all natural and healthy? It is FAR from natural and FAR from healthy.

 

[ch_13]

I drink coffee. Occasionally soda, as well. You expect caffeine in those beverages. I don't want to tell companies what they should or shouldn't market. But I really just don't understand adding THAT much caffeine to lemonade. Why? A company would know that many customers don't really know how much caffeine is in there. Then stick a "plant based" label on it to make people think it is all natural and healthy? It is FAR from natural and FAR from healthy.

I think calling it "lemonade" is a huge part of the problem, because we think we know what that is. If Panera had just called it "Charged Lemon-Flavored Energy Drink" or something, Sarah Katz would likely still be alive.

 

[Shamrock1]

There’s personal responsibility, to be certain.

But there’s also corporate responsibility. And the responsibility of a for-profit entity to advise its customers that its product contains a high level of caffeine. It’s been what - 20 years since Jolt Cola? Slam-dunk case IMO.

 

[Friday Fan]

Yet you can go to a gas station and buy as many cans of energy drinks as you want, with only small print warnings on the cans.

However, each can of energy drink costs about $2-$3. The cost alone is a deterrent.
Also, they aren't the best tasting drinks. (I've tried them all..Mountain Dew's tastes the best, but is hard to find)

These were free refills.

 

[IceIce9]

However, each can of energy drink costs about $2-$3. The cost alone is a deterrent.
Also, they aren't the best tasting drinks. (I've tried them all..Mountain Dew's tastes the best, but is hard to find)

These were free refills.

Panera charges $4.19 for a large charged lemonade, and no refills now since they are kept behind the counter. A large (30 oz) contains 156-234 mg of caffeine. The top number (234) is if you drink it without ice, and I would guess that most people would drink with ice, so a lesser amount of caffeine.

 

[IceIce9]

Caffeine is popular, no doubt about it. National smoothie chain Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers caffeine as a “Energizer Supplement “ to any smoothie, and they don’t even mention the caffeine content. Just one example.

The company I work for has a division that maintains first aid cabinets in workplaces. When I train CPR/First Aid/AED classes for our customers I always check out their first aid cabinets and nurse offices to see their supplies so I know what to discuss in their training classes. The number one OTC pain med is generic Excedrin, which contains caffeine. If they run low on this they call and ask for it to be delivered ASAP. The Tylenol and Ibuprofen might expire because no one uses it because everyone wants the pain reliever that contains caffeine.

And when I worked in clinics and doctor offices and entered patient medication lists into their electronic charts, Excedrin or generic Excedrin was the most popular.

All of the major chains offer their brand of Excedrin. CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, etc. I’ve seen them all when patients brought in their bags of meds.

 

[acutename]

Caffeine is popular, no doubt about it. National smoothie chain Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers caffeine as a “Energizer Supplement “ to any smoothie, and they don’t even mention the caffeine content. Just one example.

The company I work for has a division that maintains first aid cabinets in workplaces. When I train CPR/First Aid/AED classes for our customers I always check out their first aid cabinets and nurse offices to see their supplies so I know what to discuss in their training classes. The number one OTC pain med is generic Excedrin, which contains caffeine. If they run low on this they call and ask for it to be delivered ASAP. The Tylenol and Ibuprofen might expire because no one uses it because everyone wants the pain reliever that contains caffeine.

And when I worked in clinics and doctor offices and entered patient medication lists into their electronic charts, Excedrin or generic Excedrin was the most popular.

All of the major chains offer their brand of Excedrin. CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, etc. I’ve seen them all when patients brought in their bags of meds.

yes I believe that caffeine both causes and cures headaches - shrinks blood vessels

"In some types of headaches, the blood vessels in the brain dilate, or swell. They expand into the surrounding tissues, which triggers pain. Consuming caffeine, which narrows the vessels, can ease or even reverse some headache pain. Ironically, a sudden lack of daily caffeine can cause a headache.Mar 1, 2023"

The caffeine connection between coffee and headaches​

 

[ch_13]

There’s personal responsibility, to be certain.

But there’s also corporate responsibility. And the responsibility of a for-profit entity to advise its customers that its product contains a high level of caffeine. It’s been what - 20 years since Jolt Cola? Slam-dunk case IMO.

Would you believe that Jolt was first released in 1985? So almost 40 years.

Jeez, I'm old.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

Caffeine is popular, no doubt about it. National smoothie chain Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers caffeine as a “Energizer Supplement “ to any smoothie, and they don’t even mention the caffeine content. Just one example.

The company I work for has a division that maintains first aid cabinets in workplaces. When I train CPR/First Aid/AED classes for our customers I always check out their first aid cabinets and nurse offices to see their supplies so I know what to discuss in their training classes. The number one OTC pain med is generic Excedrin, which contains caffeine. If they run low on this they call and ask for it to be delivered ASAP. The Tylenol and Ibuprofen might expire because no one uses it because everyone wants the pain reliever that contains caffeine.

And when I worked in clinics and doctor offices and entered patient medication lists into their electronic charts, Excedrin or generic Excedrin was the most popular.

All of the major chains offer their brand of Excedrin. CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Meijer, Kroger, etc. I’ve seen them all when patients brought in their bags of meds.

A full dose of Excedrin is equivalent to one cup of coffee, per its label. Most people tend to know that particular ingredient is in it, from my experience (and apparently, from yours as well since you say everyone wants the pain reliever with caffeine). I fail to see how this is relevant to lemonade (of all things) that essentially "tricks" you into consume a relatively astronomical amount of caffeine. Meds have side effects. Lemonade is not a med.

It's not at all the same.

JMO.

 

[LunaInvidia]

I managed to consume about 1020 mg of caffeine at once (it was ssssort of an accident...?) so in a non-victim blaming way I think we definitely need to be more mindful of caffeine content on the whole. I definitely did not think about the quantity of caffeine I was consuming at the time even though the information was more or less available to me (two 8 shot caramel cloud macchiatos from Starbucks)

 

[whiterhino]

Would you believe that Jolt was first released in 1985? So almost 40 years.

Jeez, I'm old.

Oh wow! I used to drink Jolt for lunch, they sold it at our school! Jolt, fries with gravy and a chocolate bar

 

[IceIce9]

Oh wow! I used to drink Jolt for lunch, they sold it at our school! Jolt, fries with gravy and a chocolate bar

When I worked overnight shifts all the nurses used to wash down Excedrin with Mt. Dew. We always said Mt. Dew/Excedrin was the Official Drink of Overnight Nursing, lol.

 

[Shamrock1]

Caffeine content of Excedrin is 65mg per tablet and Mountain Dew is 55. The large lemonade here is alleged to contain 390mg.

Lawsuits say Panera's Charged Lemonade can cause cardiac arrest: Caffeine intake in graphics

Two lawsuits have been filed against Panera after two consumers died from cardiac arrest after drinking its Charged Lemonade.

www.usatoday.com

How much caffeine is in Excedrin Migraine?

Official answer: Each tablet of Excedrin Migraine contains 65 milligrams (mg) of caffeine, 250 mg of acetaminophen, and 250 mg of...

www.drugs.com

Caffeine chart

Caffeine is one of the only FDA-approved drugs that is present naturally and legally added to widely consumed foods. Exactly how much caffeine is there in the food and beverages you consume? CSPI has compiled the data.

www.cspinet.org

 

[whiterhino]

When I worked overnight shifts all the nurses used to wash down Excedrin with Mt. Dew. We always said Mt. Dew/Excedrin was the Official Drink of Overnight Nursing, lol.

I hope that isn't common, as someone who has been an overnight patient and has family in care, I'd be upset if I knew the nurses were using stimulants at work.

JMO I also think it was incredibly dangerous for the education system to have allowed Jolt in the school but that was back when they got paid to have Coca Cola machines in the hallways. The 90's were a different time