An Ivy League student with a heart condition died after drinking Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade — which has more caffeine than three cans of Red Bull, in accordance with a lawsuit filed by her grieving family.
Sarah Katz was a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student last 12 months when she suffered cardiac arrest hours after purchasing the lemony beverage, according court documents filed within the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Monday.
Katz, who had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 — a heart-signaling disorder where heartbeats may be fast and chaotic — avoided energy drinks per her doctor’s suggestion, the wrongful death lawsuit, first obtained by NBC News, said.
Her college roommate, Victoria Rose Conroy, also told NBC that Katz “was very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to maintain herself secure.”
“I guarantee if Sarah had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a 10-foot pole,” Conroy told the outlet.
Katz ordered the big “Charged Lemonade” as a part of a meal at a Philadelphia Panera location on Sep. 10, 2022, without realizing it contained 390 milligrams of caffeine — greater than thrice the 111 milligrams of caffeine present in a typical 12-ounce can of Red Bull.
Sarah Katz, 21, a University of Pennsylvania student, died in September of last 12 months.Facebook/Sarah Katz
Her parents allege she suffered from cardiac arrest because of this of consuming a lemonade beverage sold by Panera.Facebook/Sarah Katz
In keeping with the criticism, Katz “consumed the Panera Charged Lemonade, reasonably confident it was a conventional lemonade” or an “electrolyte sports drink containing an affordable amount of caffeine secure for her to drink.”
On that very same day, Katz “suffered a cardiac arrest” while dining with friends at a restaurant in her apartment constructing, in accordance with the criticism.
The family’s attorneys accuse Panera Bread of failing to offer warning “of any potentially dangerous effects…on blood pressure, heart rate, and/or brain function,” the criticism stated.
Panera Bread advertised the drink as a “plant-based and clean” beverage “with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee,” in accordance with the filing.
The beverage which Katz consumed also includes guarana extract, which is a stimulant, in addition to the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar, in accordance with the criticism.
Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade is alleged to contain more caffeine in a single serving than three cans of Red Bull.Gado via Getty Images
Katz’s family alleged within the criticism that Panera included the beverage as a part of its “Sip Club” by which customers are urged to “drink unlimited Panera Charged Lemonade daily.”
“We were very saddened to learn this morning in regards to the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts exit to her family,” a Panera spokesperson told The Post.
The spokesperson said the corporate “strongly imagine[s] in transparency around our ingredients.”
“We’ll work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter,” the corporate rep told The Post.
A big Charged Lemonade has greater than thrice the 111 milligrams of caffeine present in a typical 12-ounce can of Red Bull, in accordance with a lawsuit.SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
In keeping with the Food and Drug Administration, adults shouldn’t have any greater than 400 milligrams a day, which is corresponding to about 4 or five cups of coffee.
Nonetheless, depending on aspects corresponding to body weight, medications and individual sensitivity, “an excessive amount of” caffeine can vary from individual to individual, the FDA warned.
