Restaurant chain Panera Bread will stop selling certain highly caffeinated beverages that have been linked to multiple deaths, the company has said.
A spokesperson for Panera confirmed the move in a statement to The Epoch Times on Tuesday, adding that the company decided to stop selling its “Charged” Lemonade and Sips following a “recent menu transformation.”
“We listened to more than 30,000 guests about what they wanted from Panera, and are focusing next on the broad array of beverages we know our guests desire—ranging from exciting, on-trend flavors, to low sugar and low-caffeine options,” the spokesperson said.
Panera will be adding at least nine new items to its new menu, including bacon mac and cheese pasta, the spokesperson added.
“Our enhanced beverage portfolio, including new Blueberry Lavender Lemonade, Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea, Citrus Punch, and a Tropical Green Smoothie will reinforce our mission of delivering what our guests want most—amazing taste, quality ingredients, and value,” the company said.
The menu change comes as Panera is facing multiple lawsuits following the death of two individuals linked to the caffeinated drinks.
Caffeine: How Much Is Too Much?
Ms. Katz was an avid Gatorade drinker, according to the lawsuit.However, Panera failed to properly label the highly caffeinated drink, including that it contains ingredients such as guarana extract, another stimulant that can be unsafe in large amounts, leading her to feel “reasonably confident” that the beverage was a “traditional lemonade and/or electrolyte sports drink containing a reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink,” the family claimed in the lawsuit.
At the time, the lawsuit stated that Panera’s Charged Lemonade contained more caffeine than a 12-ounce Red Bull and a 16-ounce Monster Energy Drink combined, with a 20 fluid ounce (fl oz) Charged Lemonade containing around 260 milligrams of caffeine and a large 30 fl oz Charged Lemonade containing around 390 milligrams.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends healthy adults consume no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, which is the equivalent of roughly four or five cups of coffee, although it notes a “wide variation in both how sensitive people are to the effects of caffeine and how fast they metabolize it.”
More Lawsuits Prompt Warning
Panera is also facing a lawsuit from the family of a 46-year-old Florida man who died of cardiac arrest after consuming the company’s Charged Lemonade drink.Meanwhile, a 28-year-old woman filed a lawsuit against the company in January alleging she was left with permanent cardiac damage after consuming its Charged Lemonade drink and ending up hospitalized with atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.
Amid the mounting lawsuits, Panera updated its labels on its “Charged” drinks both in-store and online to clearly state they should be used in moderation and are not recommended for “children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.”
In January, the company also removed the “Charged” drinks from easy-access self-serve fountains at the front of its stores in some locations to behind the counter, where only employees can serve them or refill them for customers, according to reports.
The company did not comment on pending litigation on Tuesday.
The Epoch Times has contacted Panera for further comment.
