An Ivy League scholar with a coronary heart situation died after ingesting Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade — which has extra caffeine than three cans of Crimson Bull, based on a lawsuit filed by her grieving household.
Sarah Katz was a 21-year-old College of Pennsylvania scholar final yr when she suffered cardiac arrest hours after buying the lemony beverage, in accordance courtroom paperwork filed within the Philadelphia Court docket of Frequent Pleas on Monday.
Katz, who had a coronary heart situation referred to as lengthy QT syndrome sort 1 — a heart-signaling dysfunction the place heartbeats may be quick and chaotic — averted power drinks per her physician’s advice, the wrongful dying lawsuit, first obtained by NBC Information, mentioned.
Her school roommate, Victoria Rose Conroy, additionally instructed NBC that Katz “was very, very vigilant about what she wanted to do to maintain herself protected.”
“I assure if Sarah had identified how a lot caffeine this was, she by no means would have touched it with a 10-foot pole,” Conroy instructed the outlet.
Katz ordered the massive “Charged Lemonade” as a part of a meal at a Philadelphia Panera location on Sep. 10, 2022, with out realizing it contained 390 milligrams of caffeine — greater than 3 times the 111 milligrams of caffeine present in a regular 12-ounce can of Crimson Bull.
In response to the grievance, Katz “consumed the Panera Charged Lemonade, moderately assured it was a conventional lemonade” or an “electrolyte sports activities drink containing an affordable quantity of caffeine protected for her to drink.”
On that very same day, Katz “suffered a cardiac arrest” whereas eating with associates at a restaurant in her house constructing, based on the grievance.
The household’s attorneys accuse Panera Bread of failing to offer warning “of any probably harmful results…on blood stress, coronary heart charge, and/or mind operate,” the grievance said.
Panera Bread marketed the drink as a “plant-based and clear” beverage “with as a lot caffeine as our Darkish Roast espresso,” based on the submitting.
The beverage which Katz consumed additionally consists of guarana extract, which is a stimulant, in addition to the equal of almost 30 teaspoons of sugar, based on the grievance.
Katz’s household alleged within the grievance that Panera included the beverage as a part of its “Sip Membership” during which clients are urged to “drink limitless Panera Charged Lemonade day-after-day.”
“We have been very saddened to study this morning concerning the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts exit to her household,” a Panera spokesperson instructed The Submit.
The spokesperson mentioned the corporate “strongly consider[s] in transparency round our components.”
“We are going to work shortly to totally examine this matter,” the corporate rep instructed The Submit.
In response to the Meals and Drug Administration, adults shouldn’t have any greater than 400 milligrams a day, which is equal to about 4 or 5 cups of espresso.
Nonetheless, relying on components corresponding to physique weight, medicines and particular person sensitivity, “an excessive amount of” caffeine can range from individual to individual, the FDA warned.