After 2 Deaths, Panera Finally Discontinues Highly Caffeinated 'Charged' Lemonade
Following months of controversy, Panera has decided to discontinue its line of Charged Lemonade drinks, Business Insider reports. The sandwich and coffee shop confirmed that the highly caffeinated Charged Lemonades being pulled is part of a "menu transformation."
As part of the transformation, Panera will roll out several new beverages, including a blueberry lavender lemonade, pomegranate hibiscus tea, citrus punch, and tropical green smoothie.
The Charged Lemonades being pulled from restaurants comes at a time when Panera faces two wrongful death lawsuits because of the drinks. Late last year, the family of a University of Pennsylvania student who died hours after drinking a Charged Lemonade filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the chain.
The second wrongful death lawsuit was filed because a man in Florida died after drinking three cups of Charged Lemonade. According to CNN, after conducting an investigation, Panera stated that the man's death "was not caused by one of the company’s products."
In addition to those suits, a competitive athlete who suffered "permanent cardiac injuries" after drinking two-and-a-half cups of Charged Lemonade is also suing the restaurant.
A once popular item at Panera, the Charged Lemonades were known for being notoriously high in caffeine. Each of the beverages contained a shocking 260 mg of caffeine per serving. Given that the chain once offered free refills on the super-caffeinated beverages, many people found themselves downing far more than just one Charged Lemonade.
With each lemonade coming in at 260 mg of caffeine per serving, just two beverages gets you well above the 400 mg a day maximum recommended by the FDA. Above that 400 mg limit is where you might experience dangerous effects like a fast heart rate, upset stomach, and headaches.
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