Panera's Charged Lemonade has been blamed for two deaths, and now the restaurant chain is reportedly ditching the energy drink. Surviving family members have sued Panera over the 2022 death of a 21-year-old Pennsylvania student with a heart condition and the 2023 death of a 46-year-old Florida man with high blood pressure, both of whom did not consume energy drinks due to their health conditions and the risks such drinks would pose. Their families say that due to insufficient labeling and signage, plus misleading marketing, neither of them realized how much caffeine was in the lemonade. Panera later added warning labels to the beverage. A spokesperson now says the chain will start phasing out the lemonade entirely, NBC News reports; the lawsuits were not mentioned in the announcement of the move.
A third person, 28-year-old Lauren Skerritt of Rhode Island, had sued Panera this year, claiming she was left with permanent cardiac injuries after ordering the drink last year. She said that after consuming two and a half lemonades, she started experiencing heart palpitations and dizziness and was ultimately diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, CBS News reported at the time. The condition causes an irregular heartbeat that can lead to serious health issues including stroke or other heart problems, and she says that since consuming the lemonade, she's had recurring shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, body shakes, weakness, brain fog, and hand tremors. The Panera spokesperson did not comment on the lawsuits, but said the lemonade was made as part of a "menu transformation" that came about after "listen[ing] to more than 30,000 guests about what they wanted from Panera." (More Panera Bread stories.)
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