The controversial Panera Charged Lemonade continues to be a topic of discussion. Now, a woman with a self-diagnosed caffeine addiction shares why she’d never drink the beverage.
Content creator Kristina (@itskristinamf) shared the TikTok in response to the news of the lawsuit filed against Panera by the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student who died in 2022 after allegedly drinking Panera’s Charged Lemonade.
“Everybody keeps asking me did I hear about the Panera Lawsuit. Yes, I did. And when I said it should have been illegal, I said it for a f*cking reason because that sh*t is drugs, that’s not a real drink,” Kristina begins in the video.
@itskristinamf ♬ original sound – Krizztina
She adds that she is no stranger to high caffeine intake, citing her Red Bull addiction.
“I drink Red Bull. Sometimes I’ll even drink three Red Bulls a day, that’s how much ‘energy’ I think I need sometimes. And I don’t even really need that, I just be addicted to caffeine,” she says.
Despite this, for Kristina, the Panera Charged Lemonade is off the table.
“Nowhere near my addiction would I say to myself, ‘Let me get an unlimited drink f*cking thing at Panera.’ They’re literally trying to kill people in that d*mn shop, OK?” she rants. “That shop is a cover-up for something else, and I was damn right when I said it.”
Kristina ends the video by sharing her hopes that Sarah Katz’s family receives compensation for their daughter’s death and that viewers become more conscious about how much caffeine they drink.
“I hope everybody stays safe out there and regulates their caffeine intake. Because I know we’re young now, but when we’re older and have nerve damage and heart attacks, it’s not gonna be fun,” she concludes.
The video has garnered over 600,000 views as of Saturday.
In the comments section, users shared their personal experiences with Panera’s Charged Lemonade, with some viewers saying they were unaware of the drink’s high amount of caffeine before they drank it.
“I didn’t even realize what ‘charged’ meant at first and the employee told me it was just flavored. I was ZIPPIN,” one viewer wrote.
“I thought it was a slightly more caffeinated refresher then I looked up how much was in there. Like what are they going so hard for?” probed another viewer.
“One time I had it just thinking it was lemonade and I’m not a caffeine person. I was feeling off the wall bonkers, I felt like sh*t the rest of the day,” a third commenter shared.
“I used to drink it while I worked in fast food and I would get anxiety attacks,” came a fourth response.
According to the lawsuit, Panera’s large Charged Lemonade contains 390 milligrams of caffeine, which is higher than the caffeine content of a can of Red Bull and a can of Monster energy drink combined.
Sarah Katz, who also had a heart condition called long QT syndrome, drank a large-sized Charged Lemonade before dying later the same day. The lawsuit claims that Panera did not properly inform consumers of the drink’s ingredients.
The Daily Dot has previously reported on other consumers who experienced adverse physical reactions after drinking the lemonade, including a woman who had to go to the emergency room after drinking just a half cup of a small Charged Lemonade, and a woman who got caffeine poisoning after drinking two large Charged Lemonades.
The Daily For has reached out to Kristina via Instagram for more information.