Panera to pull caffeinated beverages connected to at least two deaths

Panera Bread will pull its infamous Charged Lemonade drinks after the highly caffeinated beverages were connected to at least two deaths and prompted lawsuits. The Charged Lemonades, which contain upwards of 178mg of caffeine for the regular size and 302mg for the large, are being eliminated by the restaurant chain amid a “recent menu transformation”, a Panera spokesperson told NBC News. Related: Scientists pour scorn on mushroom coffee, the latest ‘healthy’ food trend “We listened to more than 30,000 guests about what they wanted from Panera, and are focusing next on the broad array of beverages we know our guests desire – ranging from exciting, on-trend flavors, to low-sugar and low-caffeine options,” the spokesperson said. The beverages were at the center of major lawsuits following the deaths of two people who died after drinking a Charged Lemonade drink. The family of 21-year-old Sarah Katz sued Panera after Katz, who had a heart condition, died after consuming a Charged Lemonade. The complaint, filed in the Philadelphia court of common pleas in October, stated that Katz had been unaware how much caffeine the beverage contained. In December, a second lawsuit was filed by the family of Dennis Brown, a 46-year-old man from...

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