Every Panera Bread restaurant in the country will now have to display “enhanced” disclosures about the Charged Lemonade that it offers and its high caffeine count after a lawsuit was filed against the restaurant chain.
The lawsuit, filed last Monday, alleged that Sarah Katz, an Ivy League student with a heart condition, died after she drank one of Panera’s Charged Lemonades last year, NBC News reported.
A spokesperson for Panera Bread shared on Saturday that all restaurants around the country would begin displaying disclosures about the caffeine levels in the drink.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, the daily maximum amount of caffeine a healthy adult should consume is 400 milligrams. A large Charged Lemonade contains 390 milligrams.
The lawsuit, filed by Katz’s family, said that the lemonade was a “dangerous energy drink,” arguing that Panera failed to adequately warn consumers about its ingredients.
Elizabeth Crawford is representing the Katz family and said on Saturday that the drink’s verbiage does not provide context for the amount of caffeine in it.
A large version of the drink has more caffeine than the standard-size cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined.
“It’s misleading in the sense that it’s not indicating that it is an energy drink,” she said. “I’m happy that we are moving in a direction of making a change, but I consider these baby steps.”
In an exclusive statement to NBC News, the restaurant chain said that its North American stores have added more detailed disclosures about the drink over the last week.
“We were saddened to learn this week about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz. While our investigation is ongoing, out of an abundance of caution, we have enhanced our existing caffeine disclosure for these beverages at our bakery-cafes, on our website, and on the Panera app,” a Panera spokesperson said.
The new description of the drink says that Charged Lemonade contains caffeine, should be consumed in moderation, and warnings for children, people sensitive to caffeine, and pregnant or nursing women.