Popular Chain In Idaho & Washington Removes Potentially Deadly Drink

If you had to guestimate, how much caffeine do you consume daily? That includes your morning coffee, soda and that energy drink you didn’t want to grab from the vending machine, but absolutely needed to get through the back half of the workday. 

We’re not sure if we’re dependent on the caffeine in our first cup of coffee or if its warmth is just warming up our cold, empty soul enough to interact with each other. Either way, a cup of homemade coffee contains about 75-150 milligrams of caffeine. Most 12 oz. sodas contain 40-70 milligrams. As for energy drinks? Well, that kind of depends on what you’re grabbing. A 12 oz. Celsius contains 200 milligrams, which is considerably more than a can of Red Bull that contains 80 milligrams. 

Drinking these in moderation is just fine when you need a pick me up, but too much of a good thing can be dangerous. According to the Mayo Clinic, you shouldn’t have more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. Exceeding to that can lead to problems like headaches, insomnia, nervousness, irritability, fast heartbeat and muscle tremors. Oh, and you may have to urinate a lot or lose your ability to control urination. These problems can be more severe in people with pre-existing health conditions. 

Panera’s Highly Caffeinated Drinks Linked to Two Deaths

And that’s a lesson that Panera Bread has learned the hard way. When they initially launched their Charged Lemonade menu, they told customers that the beverages contained the same amount of caffeine as their dark roast coffee. According to their website, the largest size dark roast coffee the chain offers has 227 milligrams of caffeine. 

READ MORE: Least Trusted Restaurant Chain in America Has 7 Idaho Locations 

A lawsuit filed by the parents of a 21-year-old college student who died after drinking one of the Charged Lemonades, says that at the time that their daughter had one of the lemonades, it contained 390 milligrams of caffeine. That’s almost the recommended daily amount in a single 30 oz beverage. According to NBC News, Sarah Katz was aware that she had a heart condition and tried to avoid beverages with high caffeine content.

The new outlet said that Dennis Brown, a man with a chromosomal deficiency disorder, developmental delay and mild intellectual disability, also died after drinking one of the lemonades. He purposely avoided energy drinks, but it’s unclear if he knew these drinks had caffeine in them. The lawsuit his family filed said that at the time, the drinks were available from dispensers with the chain's other soft drinks. 

Charged Lemonades Being Removed from the Menu

As of today, you can still order the charged lemonades at Panera locations, including the seven in Idaho and 31 in Washington State. Of the three flavors available, the Blood Orange Charged Splash has the highest caffeine content. A 30 oz beverage contains 302 milligrams of caffeine. You’re also greeted with a warning when you order online that reads:

Consume in moderation. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women.

The lemonades won’t be available much longer. NBC News reports that Panera is phasing out the lemonades and replacing them with a different product within the next few weeks.