Panera to stop serving ‘Charged Sips’ drinks after wrongful death lawsuits over caffeine content

Panera Bread mentioned it’s discontinuing its Charged Sips drinks that had been tied to a minimum of two wrongful demise lawsuits resulting from their excessive caffeine content material.

Panera didn’t say Tuesday whether or not the drinks had been being discontinued due to the lawsuits or well being considerations, and it wouldn’t touch upon the timeline for eradicating them from shops. Panera mentioned it’s introducing new low-sugar and low-caffeine drinks after listening to prospects’ strategies..

The St. Louis-based firm launched Charged Sips within the spring of 2022. The fruit-flavored drinks comprise between 155 milligrams and 302 milligrams of caffeine. The everyday cup of 8-ounce espresso comprises 95 milligrams of caffeine, in accordance with the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration, whereas a 16-ounce can of Monster Power comprises 160 milligrams.

For Panera, the drinks helped meet prospects’ rising demand for pure drinks with purposeful advantages, like boosting power or immunity. Charged Sips contained caffeine derived from guarana, a plant extract usually utilized in power drinks, and inexperienced espresso extract.

However final October, a wrongful demise lawsuit was filed towards Panera by the household of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old College of Pennsylvania scholar with a coronary heart situation who died in September 2022 after consuming a Charged Lemonade.

Then, final December, the household of a Florida man filed a wrongful demise and negligence lawsuit towards Panera.

In that case, the household mentioned David Brown, 46, suffered cardiac arrest and died on Oct. 9 after consuming three Charged Lemonades at his native Panera. Brown’s household mentioned Brown had hypertension and didn’t drink power drinks, however believed Charged Sips had been secure as a result of they weren’t marketed as power drinks.

The lawsuit mentioned Brown had ordered a minimum of seven Charged Lemonades over a two-week interval earlier than he died.

Panera’s on-line menu now consists of the language, “Devour sparsely. Not beneficial for kids, folks delicate to caffeine, pregnant or nursing ladies.” It’s not clear when that was added.