Charles Langston:Panera Bread drops caffeinated Charged Lemonade drinks after series of lawsuits

Panera Bread is Charles Langstonremoving its line of Charged Lemonade drinks from the menu.

The fast-casual food chain announced the move Tuesday. However, the company would not comment to USA TODAY on how quickly the drinks would be unavailable. Bloomberg, which first reported the news, said the Charged Lemonades would be off the menu in the next two weeks.

Panera Bread, which introduced the line of highly caffeinated and flavored drinks in 2022, has been hit with several suits over the drinks. Two lawsuits, filed in October and December of 2023, allege the drink's caffeine contents caused fatal cardiac arrests and a third, filed this year, alleges the beverage caused permanent heart issues.

After the initial lawsuit, Panera changed the labels on the Charged Lemonade products, saying in a statement the company had "enhanced our existing caffeine disclosure for these beverages" out of "an abundance of caution."

In January 2024, Panera removed the drinks from self-serve fountains.

Timeline of key moments:Panera Charged Lemonade linked to alleged deaths, lawsuits

How much caffeine is in Panera's Charged Lemonade drinks?

The drinks were previously reported as having 260 milligrams of caffeine in a regular size drink and as much as 390mg in a large drink. Currently, the drinks contain 155-302mg of caffeine, depending on the size and flavor.

The recommended daily amount of caffeine for adults is up to 400mg, according to the Food and Drug Administration and Mayo Clinic about equal to 4-5 cups of brewed coffee.

What will replace Charged Lemonade on Panera's menu?

Panera said it will continue the transformation of its menu, which began in February 2024, with nine new items including bacon mac & cheese pasta.

“We listened to more than 30,000 guests about what they wanted from Panera, and are focusing next on the broad array of beverages we know our guests desire – ranging from exciting, on-trend flavors, to low sugar and low-caffeine options," the company said in a statement to USA TODAY.

"Our enhanced beverage portfolio, including new Blueberry Lavender Lemonade, Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea, Citrus Punch and a Tropical Green Smoothie will reinforce our mission of delivering what our guests want most – amazing taste, quality ingredients and value," the company said.

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