A 21-year-old college student died after drinking Panera’s Charged Lemonade. A former Panera worker on TikTok shared a PSA on the issue and warned that “most people” are unaware of the drink’s high caffeine content when purchasing it.
Panera is facing a lawsuit from the family of University of Pennsylvania student Sarah Katz, who died after drinking the beverage, which can contain more caffeine than “cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined,” per NBC News. The lawsuit contends that Panera did not sufficiently warn Katz, who had a congenital heart condition, about the ingredients in what it calls the “dangerous energy drink.” Large amounts of caffeine, particularly when combined with other stimulants in energy drinks, can be dangerous for individuals with heart conditions.
TikTok user @mnet_h8ter, who says she worked at Panera for two years, weighed in on the subject in a viral TikTok that has amassed more than 156,000 views. The TikToker’s video is in response to comments asking if Katz should’ve been aware of the drink’s ingredients.
“Most people do not know how much caffeine was in that,” the TikToker says in the video. “Me personally, I would always warn people when they ordered it. I would always say, ‘Are you aware of the amount of caffeine in the lemonade?’ Most people were not aware.”
@mnet_h8ter Most people are genuinely unaware of the amount of caffine in those lemonaids and its very sad what happened, be careful with those lemonaids #panera #chargedlemonade #paneralemonade #panerachargedlemonade ♬ original sound – yourmom
According to the lawsuit, Katz purchased a large cup of the beverage, which included 390 milligrams of caffeine, the stimulant guarana extract, and approximately 30 teaspoons of sugar. In the video’s on-screen caption, @mnet_h8ter does her own math. “3 Red Bulls has less caffeine than 1 large charged lemonade at Panera,” she writes. She also says she often compared it to the caffeine content in two Monster energy drinks.
The TikToker continues, “Think about how many times you read signs about nutrition facts at fast food places. You just don’t. Lots of people are genuinely unaware about the amount of caffeine in those lemonades.”
In the comments section, viewers weighed in with opinions of their own.
One commenter wrote, “if they stop selling charged lemonade i’m ending my sip club membership, this sucks so bad and i feel for her family but idk if it’s paneras fault.”
Another remarked, “The fact that it’s self serve is odd….”
“Panera has been mad reckless with that drink fr – Its still self-serve at my location with no label while mobile ordering,” wrote one viewer.
“If You Have Allergic Reactions And/ Or Medical Conditions You Need To Ask Questions About The Products Ing Before You Consume,” another argued.
The Daily Dot reached out to @mnet_h8ter via TikTok comment and Panera Bread via email for comment.