With Panera Bread's "Charged Lemonade" linked to two deaths, it's fair to ask: Is it safe? The short answer is yes. However, it's all about being a conscious consumer of caffeine. Here's what to know when it comes to imbibing stimulant-filled drinks, and how Charged Lemonade ranks against other beverages like coffee, tea, chocolate milk and more.

Panera Bread's Charged Lemonade and Safety Concerns

Panera Bread is entangled in several lawsuits involving its Charged Lemonade drink, which is advertised as “plant-based and clean" and contains as much caffeine as the chain's dark roast coffee. The most recent, filed by 28-year-old Rhode Island woman Lauren Skerritt, alleges the drink caused her to have “permanent cardiac injuries.”

The Panera Lawsuits

Skerritt was admitted to the emergency room the day after consuming two and a half Charged Lemonades; she reportedly had no underlying health conditions and had an athletic lifestyle prior to the incident.

Wrongful Death Lawsuits

Panera Bread has also been named in two wrongful death lawsuits. The first blames the drink for the death of University of Pennsylvania student Sarah Katz, who had a heart condition and died in September 2022 after consuming a large Charged Lemonade. The second alleges that the beverage was responsible for the death of 46-year-old Dennis Brown, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on his way home after drinking three Charged Lemonades at a local Panera. Brown had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay and a mild intellectual disability, and his family says he avoided energy drinks due to high blood pressure.

Update on Caffeine Content

At the time of Katz's lawsuit, the 30-ounce beverage that Katz consumed was listed as containing 390 mg of caffeine. But ABC News reports that the previous listing didn’t account for possible ice dilution and that Panera is updating its menus and nutritional descriptions, with the same drink now said to contain 237 mg of caffeine.

Caffeine Comparison

Curious how a Charged Lemonade compares to your favorite caffeinated drink? Here’s the caffeine content of some other popular beverages:

How to Caffeinate Safely

The majority of healthy adults can consume 400 mg of caffeine — or about four cups of coffee — a day without any negative consequences, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Recommendations vary depending on underlying health conditions and other factors. Pregnant people, for example, shouldn’t consume more than 200 mg per day, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.