When most people think of Panera Bread, they think of the restaurant’s delicious coffee or bread bowls, but it’s Panera’s caffeinated lemonades that are on everyone’s mind at the moment.
A woman from Greenville, Rhode Island, recently filed a suit against Panera, claiming that its charged lemonade directly caused “permanent cardiac injuries. And she’s not the only one who was allegedly hurt by the drink. Two other customers have reportedly died.
Lauren Skerritt’s Story
Lauren Skerritt is a 28-year-old occupational therapist who enjoys spending her free time playing sports, exercising, and even participating in competitive races.
Skerritt and her husband were thinking of starting their family last year when, suddenly, Lauren found herself in the hospital for heart palpitations.
Lauren Had Never Had this Problem Before
As an avid athlete in college and throughout her 20s, Lauren had always considered herself a healthy person. And she certainly never had any episodes of heart palpitations before.
But after going to the hospital, she found out that the heart palpitations were just the beginning of her problems.
Skerritt Was Moved Immediately to Critical Care
Upon her arrival to the hospital, Skerritt was moved to critical care almost immediately as the medical staff noted that her heart rate was in the 190s.
After stabilizing and being released, Skerritt was told she would have to return to the hospital for testing and treatment. However, they found that the young athlete showed no signs of any heart disease.
Panera’s Charged Lemonade May Be to Blame
Skerritt realized that shortly before the first episode, she had consumed two and a half of Panera’s charged lemonades, and that the caffeinated drink may have something to do with her sudden health issues.
After consulting with her doctors, Skerritt decided to take her story public and is filing a lawsuit against Panera Bread for selling customers such a dangerous product.
What Is Panera’s Charged Lemonade?
The product in question, Panera’s Charged Lemonade, is essentially a caffeinated lemon drink that the brand claims is “Plant-based and clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee.”
However, this information is slightly misleading as Panera’s lemonades are served in much larger portions than their coffees. A typical 8 ounce cup of coffee might have about 100 milligrams of caffeine, and a 30 ounce cup of the charged lemonade has 389 milligrams of caffeine. So, technically, that means they have about the same amount of caffeine per fluid ounce.
Some People Would Have Two Cups of Coffee
Some people can comfortably drink two cups of coffee, which usually adds up to 24 ounces at the most. This would mean 300 milligrams of caffeine total.
However, two of Panera’s charged lemonades add up to between 520 and 778 milligrams of coffee: more than twice what two coffees would provide. So, it’s quite clear why this marketing is confusing to its customers.
Skerritt Claims She’s Experiencing Lasting Effects from Drinking the Charged Lemonade
Skerritt is still on medication to regulate her heart rate and is claiming that the two charged lemonades she drank didn’t just cause heart palpitations, but have also resulted in permanent conditions.
Lauren used to be extremely active, but now, she says she cannot exercise in the same way because she is experiencing shortness of breath, weakness, and brain fog that makes it hard to simply work and socialize.
This Isn’t the First Time Panera’s Charged Lemonades Have Been Called Out as Dangerous
Sadly, this is not the first time that Panera’s charged lemonades have reportedly caused extreme damage to a customer. In fact, two people actually died shortly after consuming the caffeinated beverage.
Dennis Brown passed away on October 9th after drinking three, and 21-year-old Sarah Katz died in September 2022 just after consuming one of the charged lemonades. While both of these people did have existing conditions, many are arguing that a lemonade should never lead to death, no matter what conditions one might already have.
These Families Are Fighting Back
The families of Dennis Brown and Sarah Katz, as well as Lauren Skerritt herself, have decided to take action and file a complaint against Panera and its dangerous drinks.
Elizabeth Crawford, the attorney who is representing all three plaintiffs, called the product “Panera’s toxic super energy drink” in a recent statement.
What Panera Has to Say About the Charged Lemonade Suit
Panera hasn’t directly responded to Crawford’s suit against them and their allegedly dangerously charged lemonades. However, the company did release a public statement when Sarah Katz passed away in 2022.
At the time, they said, “We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family. At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
Panera Is Still Selling Its Charged Lemonades
Panera has still not taken its caffeinated lemonade off its menu, so it continues to be purchased and consumed all over the country.
What will happen next depends on the lawsuit, of course, but also on how Panera decides to handle the situation. At the bare minimum, many hope the restaurant chain will at least change its marketing and label the charged lemonade as an energy drink, not as an equivalent to a cup of coffee.
