Panera Bread has removed its “Charged Lemonade” from shelves after the highly caffeinated drink was linked to a fatal heart attack in a consumer.
A Manhattan-based employee of the popular chain told The New York Post that this once freely accessible drink was placed behind the counter last October. This change came after a lawsuit was filed by the family of a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, who claimed their daughter died from cardiac arrest after consuming the beverage.
“After the first lawsuit, we added a sticker to the dispensers warning about the caffeine content and its potential danger to certain people,” the unnamed employee explained to The Post. “And then we moved it behind the counter.”
The drink, containing more caffeine than Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined, was reported by the outlet to have a 30-ounce serving with over 390 milligrams of caffeine, nearing the FDA’s 400-milligram daily maximum.
“Some stores had already placed the chargers behind the counter when we first received them, but not all had done so,” the employee added.
A Reddit user noted that a warning sign was also placed near the drink, cautioning customers about its high caffeine content.
Moreover, Panera Bread faced another lawsuit from Lauren Skerritt, a 28-year-old Rhode Island athlete. She claimed she was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat after consuming two and a half servings of “Charged Lemonade” from a Greenville, R.I., franchise last year.
Her attorney, Elizabeth Crawford, is also representing the families of two individuals who reportedly died after drinking “Charged Lemonade.”
Last month, the family of Dennis Brown, a 46-year-old Florida resident, filed a lawsuit against Panera, alleging he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest hours after drinking a Charged Lemonade.
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