Panera Bread said it will discontinue Charged Sips drinks that have been linked to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content.
Richard Vogel/AP
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Richard Vogel/AP
Panera Bread said it will discontinue Charged Sips drinks that have been linked to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content.
Richard Vogel/AP
Panera Bread said it is discontinuing Charged Sips drinks that have been linked to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content.
Panera on Tuesday did not say whether the drinks would be discontinued because of lawsuits or health concerns and would not comment on progress toward removing them from stores. Panera said it is introducing new low-sugar and low-caffeine drinks after listening to customer input.
The company is headquartered in St. Louis introduced Charged Sips in spring 2022. The fruit-flavored drinks contain between 155 milligrams and 302 milligrams of caffeine. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a regular 8-ounce cup of coffee contains 95 milligrams of caffeine, while a 16-ounce can of Monster Energy contains 160 milligrams.
For Panera, the beverage has helped meet growing customer demand for natural beverages with functional benefits, such as increased energy or immunity. Charged sips contain caffeine derived from guarana, a plant extract commonly used in energy drinks and green coffee extract.
But last October, a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Panera by the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student with heart disease, who died in September 2022 after drinking lemonade containing charge.
Then, last December, a man’s family in Florida filed for wrongful death and a malpractice suit against Panera.
In that case, the family said David Brown, 46, suffered cardiac arrest and died on October 9 after drinking three Charged Lemonades at a local Panera. Brown’s family said Brown had high blood pressure and did not drink energy drinks, but believed Charged Sips were safe because they were not advertised as energy drinks.
The lawsuit says Brown ordered at least seven glasses of lemonade for a fee in the two-week period before his death.
Panera’s online menu now includes the text “Consume in moderation. Not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or breastfeeding women.” It’s unclear when that was added.
