Panera Bread discontinues 'Charged Sips' drinks linked to wrongful death lawsuits

Published: 07 May 2024 at 21:16

Business

Panera Bread is discontinuing its 'Charged Sips' drinks after facing at least two wrongful death lawsuits related to their high caffeine content. The company has not specified whether the drinks are being discontinued due to the lawsuits or health concerns. In response, Panera is introducing new low-sugar and low-caffeine drinks based on customer feedback. The 'Charged Sips' beverages, introduced in 2022, contained high levels of caffeine derived from guarana and green coffee extract, exceeding the caffeine content in typical coffee and energy drinks. Lawsuits were filed after individuals suffered fatal cardiac events post-consumption.

DEEP DIVE

Some health drinks contain as much caffeine as three cups of coffee, posing risks for those with underlying cardiac conditions

An investigation has revealed that health drinks marketed with various health claims can contain high levels of caffeine, posing risks for individuals with underlying cardiac conditions. Fast food chain Panera Bread is facing a third lawsuit claiming that its highly caffeinated 'Charged Lemonade' drink has caused long-term heart problems. A Rhode Island woman alleges that consuming two-and-a-half Charged Lemonades led to new episodes of palpitations and an irregular heartbeat. Another case involved the death of a college student who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest after consuming the drink. These incidents highlight the potential dangers of high caffeine levels in health drinks.

Panera Bread (Wikipedia)

Panera Bread is an American chain store of bakery-café fast food restaurants with over 2,000 locations, all of which are in the United States and Canada. Its headquarters are in Sunset Hills, Missouri. The chain operates as Saint Louis Bread Company in the Greater St. Louis area, where it has over 100 locations.Panera offers a wide array of pastries and baked goods, such as bagels, brownies, cookies, croissants, muffins, and scones. These, along with Panera's artisan breads, are typically baked the day before by an on-staff baker. Aside from the bakery section, Panera has a regular menu for dine-in or takeout including flatbreads, pizzas, warm grain bowls, panini, pasta, salads, sandwiches, side choices, and soups, as well as coffee, espresso drinks, frozen drinks, fruit smoothies, hot chocolate, iced drinks, lattes, lemonade, and tea.Until 1999 and again from 2017 to 2021, the company also owned Au Bon Pain. Panera Bread is itself owned by JAB Holding Company, which is, in turn, owned by the Reimann family of Germany. Panera was once the largest provider of free Wi-Fi hotspots in the United States.

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