Panera Bread Removes ‘Charged Lemonade’ From Their Self-Serve Fountain Areas In Certain Locations Due To Death Lawsuit Allegations!

Cousins! Panera Bread restaurants are making changes in how their controversial drink of ‘Charged Lemonade’ is accessed by customers, following multiple lawsuits!

According to PEOPLE, Panera has been issued various lawsuits regarding their Charged Lemonade drink. Reports read that the brand is being accused of selling a drink that has caused health defects and in some instances deaths.

A family of a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, claimed that their daughter tragically died from cardiac arrest after consuming the beverage, reports the New York Post.

As of recently, Panera has officially removed the drink from their self-serve fountains in specific locations. A new policy has also been implemented which bans customers from serving lemonade themselves or getting a refill. They’ll now have to communicate with a staff member to receive their drink.

The chain received their first legal complaint back in October leading to Panera displaying increased warning signs by lemonade dispensers in certain locations.

“After the first lawsuit, we added a sticker to the dispensers warning about the caffeine content and its potential danger to certain people,” said an unnamed employee explained to The Post. “And then we moved it behind the counter.”

Sources state that Panera’s Charged Lemonade has more caffeine than Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined. The drink is said to have a 30-ounce serving with over 390 milligrams of caffeine, nearing the FDA’s 400-milligram daily maximum.

“Some stores had already placed the chargers behind the counter when we first received them, but not all had done so,” the employee added.

Panera Bread is also facing another lawsuit at the hands of a Rhode Island woman named Lauren Skerritt. The 28-year-old woman says she was hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat after drinking two and a half servings of “Charged Lemonade” at a Greenville, R.I., location in 2023, reports CNN.

Lauren’s lawyer, Elizabeth Crawford, has been identified as the representing attorney for two additional families who have reportedly died after consuming a “Charged Lemonade.”

In December 202, the family members of Dennis Brown, filed a lawsuit against Panera, alleging that the 46-year-old Florida residents suffered a fatal cardiac arrest hours after drinking a Charged Lemonade.