After several lawsuits, and two related deaths, Panera Bread has announced they will be discontinuing their controversial charged lemonade drinks.
A spokesperson for Panera didn’t address the lawsuits directly, rather stating that the change is because of a “recent menu transformation.”
Panera Bread was receiving a lot of backlash for their lemonades which contained high amounts of caffeine. For comparison purposes, a typical 8-ounce coffee contains 91mg of caffeine; a 16 oz. Monster Energy can has 160mg. Panera’s charged lemonades (with no ice) has 390mg!
According to NBC News, the first two lawsuits were filed in October and December, of last year, when a 21-year-old woman and 46-year-old man both died after consuming the drinks. Their families filed the suits. Panera was hit with the third lawsuit this January, by a woman who says she was left with “permanent cardiac injuries.”
Panera says after listening to costumer feedback they would be rolling out new low-sugar and low-caffeine beverages.
