Sarah Katz, 21, had a heart condition and was not aware of the drink’s caffeine content, which exceeded that of cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined, according to a legal filing
If reducing caffeine does the trick, you don’t want to also cut out salt pre-emptively. There are dangers to cutting salt and it should be a last resort if nothing else works to reduce blood pressure.
What are the dangers? Last I saw yes you need sodium, but it’s an extremely small amount per day to stay healthy. So little that if you weren’t trying to diet you would probably surpass the amount after your first meal.
But not too much! Some salt is good, but not the absurd amounts you’ll find in prepared food from the food service industry.
Also, make sure the salt you use has iodine in it. Lots of people don’t get that
If you eat only home cooked meals then yes definitely don’t cut it out completely but if you eat out at restaurants or any processed foods then you’re almost guaranteed to get all the salt you need.
Is there actually solid science behind that? I had a friend who swore that it really has no effect, and when I personally looked into it, it seemed that a large portion of the population sees higher blood pressure from it, but for most it’s a short term increase.
I think at the end of the day, moderation is what’s most important.
One Celsius has 200 mg of caffeine while one espresso drink from home has about 80 mg. Sometimes I still feel tired after drinking my coffee but I definitely feel less jittery and stressed.
My doctor got me off caffeine. It was tough, but I learned that it wasn’t actually helping me stay alert and awake. I was just addicted to it and needed another fix. I feel better now. I drink one green tea a day now. Check out this vid from The Infographics Show
Just an fyi, coffee typically has as much or more caffeine than energy drinks do. The reason why energy drinks feel like they have a lot of caffeine is because they’re typically consumed in greater quantities than coffee (8~12oz for coffee, energy drinks are typically >16oz). So your energy drink has more caffeine because there’s more drink, but when it comes to caffeine-per-ounce, they’re pretty similar. You’re probably getting the same amount of caffeine you were if you only drank those little 8oz red bulls or if you drink 2+ cups of coffee.
Haven’t been to Panera in a while, had no idea they were selling these drinks. The article makes mention that people who have the condition she had are typically OK with caffeine but that energy drinks are more dangerous because they contain other stimulants apart from the caffeine, like taurine. There’s really no fair comparison between coffee and energy drinks because of all the other added stimulants in energy drinks
This new trend of soda that’s made of cane sugar and natural coloring is pretty stupid. It’s still a ton of calories and acid on your teeth. At Chipotle, cava, Panera, I’ll get sparkling water out of the Sprite tap and then flavor with a dash of whatever nu soda they have.
Panera, I feel, is 100% at fault here for trying to make soda and apparently ENERGY DRINKS seem innocuous and healthy.
Sprite is “sparkling water” plus syrup. There’s usually a second button on lemonade and lemon-lime soda which holds the syrup.
If restaurants just served sparkling water or mineral water I would be way more inclined to order drinks. But nooo, we have to have a society that normalizes liquid candy and alcohol 🥴
A lot of the fountain machines I’ve used also have a soda water secondary option on one of the drinks. There’s usually a plain water one, too.
"This new trend "
It’s not really new. It’s that the cane sugar sodas cost more to make, which means cost more to buy. You can taste the difference, but you have to actually care to be willing to pay the increased price.
Jones has always done it. Coca Cola used to release it “Mexican Coca Cola” in my area every few months at $3/bottle.
I hope this lawsuit forces them to remove this. I’m sorry this young girl died. This isn’t the first issue they had with this drink. My husband and I were discussing it months ago. He thought it was just lemonade - sugar, water, lemons. We didn’t figure out why he was up all night. Later someone old him how much caffeine it has. We had no idea. It’s dangerous to those with high bp.
I’m not going to lie when I first read the headline I thought this was probably a frivolous lawsuit but after reading the article I thought that stuff should get pulled.
It’s like that McDonald’s hot coffee lawsuit. Poor lady was made a mockery of for ordering hot coffee because it sounds ridiculous at first but she had 2nd degree burns. It was recklessly hot, as was this drink recklessly produced and marketed.
3rd degree groin burns that required grafts.
She initially asked for just 20k to cover her medical bills, and they instead offered like $800.
Also of note, that huge 2.7mil fine the jury found? Just the profits from 2 days of McDonald’s coffee sales. The judge reduced it to $650k, but even that likely wasent paid as they settled out of court at that point.
Funny you should mention that. I use to work for the franchise owner who’s brother-in-law (who also worked for the franchise) gave that woman the cup of coffee (or so he would say) when they were franchising with McDonalds. And guess where I was working at the time? Panera
The McDonald’s lady’s case blew up because the jury slapped McDonald’s with huge punitive damages. If she would have gotten the 10-30k she asked for initially or even just the 125k for actual damages no one would care about the case. But the 2.7 million in punitive damages just make this lawsuit seem frivolous. But she had no control over that.
And IIRC one big reason why she won was because the cups weren’t suited for holding such hot liquid. The temperature of coffee didn’t decrease in McDonald’s after the lawsuit.
It also explains why the coffee is so bad. Heating coffee above a certain temp is just burning it.
Do a bit of research into the marketing actually used for this drink. Assuming the store uses the standard Panera marketing, there’s a big sign on the dispenser saying how much caffeine is in it. It’s a tragic mistake, but unless that location uniquely screwed up, that’s all it is.
Another commentor said their husband ordered it thinking it was a regular lemonade. The issue could be more wide spread than a single store.
I don’t think they’re legally liable after what I’ve read through and personally experienced – but I absolutely don’t think this is a frivolous lawsuit. It’s still worth merit when it comes to signage and frankly medical testing.
The biggest problem is that she drank it without knowing the heart condition. We need to have better detection and screening to make sure people know this.
From the article:
Katz had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 and avoided energy drinks at the recommendation of her doctors, according to the filing.
her roommate and close friend, Victoria Rose Conroy [said,] “She was very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe,” Conroy said. “I guarantee if Sarah had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a 10-foot pole.”
Yeah, I also wasn’t aware. I imagine there were signs, but who looks for the caffeine content of lemonade? In my case I just had a dash t flavor soda, so I didn’t notice until my kid pointed it out
Similarly, when my kids were little, I kept them away from stimulants, but who expects to have to prohibit lemonade for the caffeine hit?
What very clear, explicit label?
The Charged Lemonade was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” and was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage that contained as much caffeine as the restaurant’s dark roast coffee, according to photos of both the menu and beverage dispensers in the store, which were included in the wrongful death lawsuit.
Forget the article; go to an actual Panera. The amount of caffeine is clearly labeled right under the name of the drink. To be fair, their drinks contain way too much, but you can’t say that they don’t already make the label clear and easy to interpret. People are idiots who don’t read the label beyond the “lemonade” part.
contained as much caffeine as the restaurant’s dark roast coffee
That part. Though I don’t think people realize how much caffeine is in their dark roast coffee. Because it is more caffeine than multiple energy drinks for the same volume. There’s a reason a standard cup of coffee is like 6 oz instead of 20 oz.
“Plant based and clean with as much caffeine as our dark roast coffee.” is the full quote. Then, it lists the specific amount of caffeine for the two sizes.
You can argue it should have a more eye-catching and cautionary presentation, but it’s disingenuous to say it wasn’t clear and explicit.
I don’t mind it existing as a product. If it does though it should be very clearly labeled with warnings that are impossible to miss. This seems great for Panaras on college campuses, but there should be no possibility you confuse it for something else.
More caffeine than two energy drinks combined seems very excessive to me.
So are you suggesting we ban coffee, which typically has more caffeine than this drink?
Sorry but no. If we just arbitrarily remove products because someone managed to die because of it… We literally won’t have anything.
Let’s not use the term arbitrary arbitrarily. It just makes people stupid.
Feel free to elaborate.
Girl dies from drinking caffeine presumably millions of people drink every year.
/u/Orionza I hope this lawsuit forces them to remove this.
Per Google definition
adjective based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.
Seems arbitrary to me. If we just start removing items because someone unalive themselves with it… where does that line get drawn? The regular 20-ounce serving has 260 milligrams. The can of energy drink in front of me is 200mg @ 12 oz. So per fluid ounce, it’s not that high.
If I get in a car accident and die… are we going to call for the removal of cars? Just the model that killed me? How is this the companies/products fault?
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/lemonade-chargers.html
Panera Charged Lemonades are the ultimate energy drink guaranteed to charge up your day.
Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee.
had a heart condition
Does personal responsibility not exist anymore? The menu and advertising for the drink clearly show that it has a high caffeine content.
and was not aware of the drink’s caffeine content, which exceeded that of cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined
The drink has about 260mg of caffeine which, while high, isn’t outrageous or unsafe to most healthy adults by any means.
Maybe someone can show me how I’m being a heartless arsehole but I can’t find any negligent action on Panera’s part that would make them to blame.
It does. But we still have safety stickers and ingredient lists, etc for a really damn good reason.
Absolutely. Legally speaking, the warnings/labeling are crucial. And they depend heavily on context. Using a common name like lemonade in a unique way puts the threshold even higher.
Also legally speaking, people blaming the heart condition fail to understand US tort law. The responsibility falls to the provider, not the victim, even if they are unusually fragile (have a heart condition). This is the eggshell skull aka eggshell plaintiff doctrine, very well established in US law.
And if you dive deep into the train of thought of what happens without it (companies blame everything on too fragile/frail of people), most people find it to be reasonable.
The provider must make it safe for everyone OR place adequate protections/warnings that make it very clear who it’s not safe for. Seems like Panera failed on both accounts.
If there’s a big sign that says “Plant-based, clean caffeine powered by guarana & green coffee extract” with “30 fl oz | 530 cal | 389 mg caffeine” on the sign she was staring at when she poured her drink, that might make things a bit complicated.
The Panera signage seems obvious enough about caffeine that (assuming the signage was in place) I can’t imagine any more correct action Panera could have taken short of having a person stand there asking people if they have heart conditions.
I mean, imitation crab meat often has trace lobster in it and nobody advertises that. It falls under “let our associates know if you have any dietary restrictions or food allergies”. Did she say “I can’t have caffeine” and then they let her fill her cup with charged lemonade? This is a beverage that is marketed on being caffeinated, and every piece of advertising, signage, etc features the caffeinated nature prominently because it’s a major selling point of it.
Nobody should be blaming her. But unless this Panera did stuff very different from the Panera standard, it was sufficient.
And you’re right about the legal implications of her medical condition. But I don’t see many people suggesting it’s her fault because she had a heart condition.
The article claims it has 390 mg and was sold alongside noncaffeinated drinks, though I’m not clear exactly how misleading they were about the amount of caffeine in there. I agree with you – it seems wild to me that an adult with a heart condition like that wouldn’t check any caffeinated drink to see the caffeine quantity before drinking it…
it seems wild to me that an adult with a heart condition like that wouldn’t check any caffeinated drink to see the caffeine quantity before drinking it…
The issue is that she didn’t know it had caffeine, presumably because it wasn’t obvious when ordering it. She may have just thought “charged lemonade” was the name they gave their regular lemonade drink and didn’t think anything of it. I wouldn’t think to ask for the caffeine content of a lemonade, either.
I suspected this at first, but the article put its foot in its mouth clearly pointing out that these are in the self-serve section. The pics going around show standard marketing on the dispenser saying it’s high caffeine. If THOSE were missing, now you’ve got a valid complaint. But the article says nothing about that.
Does it change your mind if there’s a large sign on the dispenser saying it’s highly caffeinated and including big bold caffeine content numbers?
We don’t know if the sign was there in this tragedy, but we know it’s standard Panera marketing to have it there.
If there’s a sign clearly indicating high caffeine content, sadly I think that’s on her. If there isn’t, then I can see Panera being somewhat liable. It seems similar to food allergies, where people who are allergic to, say, peanuts have to check food labels and food companies have to clearly label the presence of peanuts.
When I hear “charged” lemonade I assume it’s caffeinated but maybe not everyone has that understanding.
"Katz had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 and avoided energy drinks at the recommendation of her doctors, according to the filing.
… “She was very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe,” Conroy said. “I guarantee if Sarah had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a 10-foot pole.”
… The charged lemonade was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” and was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage that contained as much caffeine as the restaurant’s dark roast coffee…
…The charged lemonade also has guarana extract, another stimulant, as well as the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar"
You either did not read even half the article, or you did and then completely forgot or ignored the contents. Which was it?
I have a lobster allergy. I am very, very vigilant about it because I don’t like being rushed to the ER. I had imitation crab meat that happened to have lobster in it once. Didn’t even think to ask. That was my fault.
The charged lemonade was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks
I’d love to see a picture of that. At my local Panera it’s right next to the ice tea and has a giant sign on it about being highly caffeinated. There’s a few pictures around about them behind the counter with no visible sign, so lacking more info this above quote works in Panera’s favor for me.
advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage
Let me complete the sentence. It’s advertised as “Plant-based, clean caffeine powered by guarana & green coffee extract”. The quote provided in the article comes from the posted caffeine notice. The other ones are advertised as “Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee”. And the plaintiff is trying to argue “it has more caffeine than the dark roast”, which is one of those “misleading truths” I’ve gotten into elsewhere. It’s less caffeinated per ounce, and not the highest caffeine drink they sell.
…The charged lemonade also has guarana extract, another stimulant, as well as the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar
For guarana, it’s on the sign but not advertised as well. If the entire complaint was that she couldn’t have guarana, they might have a point. If the complaint is that the sign was missing or hidden, they would have a point. Every piece of signage online or in-store I’ve seen they have the word “Charged”, they mention that it’s caffeinated.
I don’t want to say personal responsibility… fuck that. Somebody died. It’s a tragedy, but short of more info than in the article, not wrongful death. Thing is, this could be like the McDonalds coffee thing where a lot of people left out that the coffee temperature was calibrated wrong and the lady got third degree burns from it.
but short of more info than in the article, not wrongful death. Thing is, this could be like the McDonalds coffee thing where a lot of people left out that the coffee temperature was calibrated wrong and the lady got third degree burns from it.
Exactly, there are a billion things that might have happened, accidental or intentional, local or systemic. Which is why when people immediately presume it was her fault for not checking, it’s pretty gross. Especially when it’s clear they would only have to have read less than half the article to know there were potential failures on Panera’s part which may justify discovery, which means the case needs to be filed to find out. That is, reading the linked article might have even partly answered their question, assuming it was genuinely asked.
All we really know for sure is that she wouldn’t have drunk it if she knew it were caffeinated + guarana, and certainly wouldn’t have poured a whole 30oz for herself if she suspected it, and that she clearly has a habit of checking already. So either something went tragically wrong at the wrong time, or multiple things did. And it clearly extends further than the tired “personal responsibility” talking point implying the victim’s laziness and/or incompetence.
Ah yes “personal responsibility” the rallying cry of empathy free assholes everywhere. And yes you are an asshole for that victim blaming shit opinion of yours.
260mg is in the 20oz version, but I’m pretty sure you can get whatever giant sized drink you want. The article said she had a 30oz drink which has 390mg of caffeine. Also, even just 260mg of caffeine is WAY more caffeine than anyone needs in one drink, even if its considered “safe”. There’s literally no reason for it. Something that’s self serve and has that much caffeine should have a giant warning on the front and require a waiver to be signed first. I looked up the picture of the machine where the drink is served, and it says at the very bottom how much caffeine is in it, but if someone is on their way to work or class then they probably aren’t stopping to read the literature on what they thought was just plain lemonade
A waiver for a 260mg drink? A large monster can is close to that. A Bang Energy is 300mg.
Should they be that strong? Up to you to decide. But saying you need a waiver for something that’s already widely available is nonsense.
All of those should require a waiver. Better yet, they shouldn’t exist at all at that strength. Just because they are widely available doesn’t mean they are safe. There is literally no reason anyone ever needs to consume 260mg of caffeine in one sitting. If someone can’t wake up with less than 300mg of caffeine in their system then they need to seek immediate medical attention because they are into full on addiction at that point.
Also, even just 260mg of caffeine is WAY more caffeine than anyone needs in one drink, even if its considered “safe”.
That’s the caffeine content in a large hot coffee from Dunkin Donuts, one of the most popular orders in the my region of the world. Putting it proportion, this lemonade is about 2/3 of the caffeine, oz for oz, of black coffee. Have you seen a 30oz drink? They’re fairly massive.
I looked up the picture of the machine where the drink is served, and it says at the very bottom how much caffeine is in it, but if someone is on their way to work or class then they probably aren’t stopping to read the literature on what they thought was just plain lemonade
I’ve accidentally ordered food I was allergic to, so I get it. There’s absolutely nothing a company can do to be 100% sure nobody will ever order food that will harm them.
was advertised as a “plant-based and clean” beverage that contained as much caffeine as the restaurant’s dark roast coffee, according to photos of both the menu and beverage dispensers in the store
But at 390 milligrams, the large Charged Lemonade has more caffeine than any size of Panera’s dark roast coffee, the complaint says — numbers that the nutrition facts on Panera’s website confirm. It also has guarana extract, another stimulant, as well as the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar
The marketing was factually wrong and very misleading.
The complete quotes in the marketing (the article made the odd decision to quote PART OF the caffeine description out-of-context) are:
“Plant-based, clean caffeine powered by guarana & green coffee extract”.
and
“Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee”
I would call that marketing accurate and correct. Except one thing… It’s a fact that one ounce of their lemonade has significantly less caffeine (about 2/3) than one ounce of their dark roast coffee, and dramatically less than their light roast coffee. Could you have guessed that from the quotes? Because my first point of note is that they’re incorrect about it having “as much caffeine as our Dark Roast”.
the large Charged Lemonade has more caffeine than any size of Panera’s dark roast coffee
This is also both misleading and carefully worded. It’s comparing a 16oz cup to a 30oz cup, both sold with unlimited refills, and leaving out that the Charged Lemonade is not even the highest-caffeine item on the menu.
I would say the article is factually wrong and misleading. The problem is, we don’t know the full details of the complaint, which might actually be valid. The article, however, is not doing it justice.
I also made the mistake. Personally I don’t care, especially since I was looking for a flavor shot with soda, but these are in the same dispensers that used to hold juice, in the same spot, and there probably still are some regular juices there. I suppose we should read every sign, but it’s not in human nature. Who would think to check the caffeine content of what appears to be juice?
I imagine that signs are posted, but it’s set up to be misleading. Panera missed the opportunity for splashy marketing (at least where I was) which could have both sold more and communicated better
I’d say it depends. I’ve never seen an ad for panera lemonade, and I don’t need to look at a menu to know what lemonade is. Many drinks sometimes have caffeine, like root beer or orange soda. You have to be careful about which brand you’re getting. There are zero caffeinated lemonades on the market besides lemonade flavored energy drinks and Panera.
260mg is the small. The large has 390mg. 400mg is where the fda says adverse effects begin for normal people. That is a lot of caffeine under any circumstance.
Did she order a lemonade and get a max dose energy drink, or did she specifically order a max dose energy drink?
400mg is where the fda says adverse effects begin for normal people.
That’s not exactly right. 400mg is the line the FDA says NO adverse affects happen for normal people. They’re not saying >400mg is dangerous, they’re saying <400mg is safe and healthy.
Considering the drinking patterns of caffeine (one big boost, not something you drink all day unless you’re from New England), that makes sense to me. When I walk into a Dunkies and get a large Iced, it’s 400mg of caffeine.
8 months ago Food Theroy did agreat video on this. It’s very appropriately titled given the unfortunate circumstances. To say this drink was caffeineted is a major understatement, it was basically four and a half monsters in one cup.
Franky, it was reckless for Panera to make and sell this drink and they absolutely earned this lawsuit. There was pently of forewarning that the abnormally high caffeine content in this was dangerous for certain groups. Hope the family wins big, nothing will bring back their loved one but this could’ve been avoided with more clear nutrientional warnings.
f u panera
The other thing is, these drinks are in the same dispensers, the same location, that used to have regular juices. Even assuming the signs were there, it’s set up for no one to pay attention
Also it’s mixed on-site by employees, so consistency of caffeine between batches occasions is at risk.
Considering that a fatal dose of caffeine is between 10,000-15,000 mg, I don’t think some variance in the mix is really a problem.
Why is quadruple Monster even on the menu of a restaurant that is mostly famous for soup?
Because they feel the need to pivot and try to extract more money and bring in other types of people by offering more options for everything. To bad it’s all garbage, and very overpriced.
Maybe I am wrong, but there is no way this place can sustain itself with the prices they charge and the drop in quality they now offer compared to early 2000’s.
There was one on campus at my university. I almost never ate there, but it was always pretty popular. This drink seems like it’s designed for that. Get a cup of this stuff and drink it over the course of a long day/night and it’d be fine. Mistaking it for just lemonade, or even a regular caffienated drink, is a huge mistake that should never have been able to happen. There should be clear warnings and labels.
Good lord. I drank like half a red bull once and felt like I was going to die… Why would anyone even want to consume that much…
I had a drop of redbull once and was raging for months. It’s strong stuff
So are you saying “f u” to all coffee shops? Because I can (and often do) get a standard on-menu beverage with more caffeine than these larges without a single warning on it at Dunkin Donuts.
These lemonades are at least covered in “this has THIS much caffeine in it” advertising.
