Is Panera Actually Killing People?
Is the Charged Lemonade from Panera killing people? Is it even Panera’s fault? I was on Panera’s side at first, but the more I look into it all, I am not so sure that Panera is not to blame.
There have been multiple lawsuits already:
According to WIRED’s article titled Energy Drinks Are Out of Control :
“20-ounce serving of Charged Lemonade contains 260 milligrams of caffeine, while the 30-ounce cup has 390 mg—close to the US Food and Drug Administration’s recommended daily limit. It isn’t known which size Brown, 46, consumed on October 9, but after finishing his dinner, he left the American fast casual restaurant and suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on a nearby sidewalk shortly after. A wrongful-death lawsuit filed against Panera Bread on behalf of Brown’s family states that he usually drank iced tea, root beer, or water and was allegedly unaware that Charged Lemonade contains caffeine, as the lawsuit says it wasn’t advertised as an energy drink. Elizabeth Crawford, the attorney representing Brown’s family, has claimed the drink is “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
A large lemonade containing basically the same amount of energy as TWO Celsius drinks (200mg each) is ridiculous. No one needs two energy drinks to simply wash down their lunch. This product being advertised as a lemonade and not an overpowered energy drink is criminal.
Panera is different than an energy drink company and sells several other lemonades. I believe that they have never sold an energy drink product in the past. So is it fair to assume someone would imply a “charged” lemonade is anything other than another flavor or marketing tactic? It seems to me like it falls on Panera to better market and advertise their product as an energy drink with loads of caffeine, not necessarily a “lemonade.”