this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2023
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Panera Bread’s highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade is now blamed for a second death, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

Dennis Brown, of Fleming Island, Florida, drank three Charged Lemonades from a local Panera on Oct. 9 and then suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on his way home, the suit says.

Brown, 46, had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay and a mild intellectual disability. He lived independently, frequently stopping at Panera after his shifts at a supermarket, the legal complaint says. Because he had high blood pressure, he did not consume energy drinks, it adds.

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[–] Vej@lemm.ee 114 points 11 months ago (7 children)

As someone who has gone to the hospital for an overdose on caffeine, I really want to try one of these. Because, I clearly haven't learned my lesson at all.

[–] gibmiser@lemmy.world 34 points 11 months ago

Fucking lol

[–] PsychedSy@sh.itjust.works 20 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Right? I've never gone for an overdose, but I have had jangly eyeballs once or twice.

Sounds delicious.

"jangly eyeballs" is the perfect descriptor thanks

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[–] kogasa@programming.dev 13 points 11 months ago

If you've ever had a large coffee, it's like that. If you've ever had 3 large coffees and a heart condition, the same principle applies.

[–] EdibleFriend@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

I'm glad I'm not the only one who keeps seeing these stories and immediately wanting to go try it.

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[–] WhoresonWells@lemmy.basedcount.com 78 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Panera should go ahead and put prominent warning labels on it. Call it The lemonade so charged it killed [name of latest victim]. It might double sales of the product.

[–] hydrospanner@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

Or like those worker safety counters: XX Days Since Last Lost-Life Lemonade Accident

[–] littlewonder@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

Big Four Loko energy here.

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 9 points 11 months ago

How much you want to bet that Heart Attack Grill is going to run with that idea.

[–] Igloojoe@lemm.ee 9 points 11 months ago

Panera's MURDER lemonade. So good it'll kill you!! Buy one, get one on Mondays!

[–] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 69 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Why is a bread and soup restaurant selling energy drinks so caffeinated it will kill you if you drink it?

[–] abbotsbury@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's not so caffeinated, it's about as much caffeine per ounce as coffee

[–] Clasm@lemmy.world 41 points 11 months ago (6 children)

Yeah, but nobody's drinking 3 30 oz coffees in one sitting. Nor is coffee really marketed as a health drink.

Found this as well:

A 30-ounce, large-size Panera Charged Lemonade has about 390 milligrams of caffeine, about four times the amount found in a cup of coffee.

[–] abbotsbury@lemmy.world 13 points 11 months ago (2 children)

If any sugar soaked beverage is allowed to be marketed as a health drink, that's a problem that applies to the entire industry.

And drinking 90oz is the fault of the consumer, remember how much blowback there was when New York banned selling drinks above a certain volume? The people want to be able to do drink ungodly amounts of soft drink, apparently.

Only thing I really blame Panera for is not clearly labeling how much caffeine is in a cup, which I also don't really blame them for because the last time I went to Starbucks or McDonald's I couldn't find out which latte had the most caffeine, so that's standard behavior I guess.

Push for more required disclosure if you'd like, I'd probably agree, but Panera was not out of line IMO.

[–] Clasm@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago

If it is an industry problem, then this sort of event is usually what snowballs into actual change.

The tip of this case, I believe, isn't just the caffeine content, but the fact that it:

  • Wasn't exactly labeled as a high-caf drink.
  • Was often next to, or in place of, non-caf drinks.
  • Was marketed as part of an unlimited drinks program.

While the company isn't required to cater to individuals with very specific tolerances of the simulant, they likely had data available to them that suggests that this outcome was always a possibility, yet they supposedly ran the product until people died.

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[–] EatYouWell@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago (3 children)

It's not a dangerous drink for the majority of the population. Dude had known medical issues that caffeine can cause issues with, and drank an unreasonable amount of it.

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[–] captainjaneway@lemmy.world 44 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (19 children)

I don't want to sound like a dick, but I don't really think Panera is at fault here. Their lemonade is no more caffeinated than standard Starbucks venti drinks.

Dennis Brown, of Fleming Island, Florida, drank three Charged Lemonades from a local Panera on Oct. 9 and then suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on his way home, the suit says.

390mg of caffeine is a lot. But it's also commonly found in large cups of coffee. And this individual had three of them. I think Florida might want to consider ensuring mentally impaired people like Dennis Brown are better equipped to navigate a world which has leaned heavily into caffeine as a stimulant. I don't believe that Panera is some bastion of justice and good will. I'm sure their lemonade makes every attempt to "hook" members on their product with high levels of caffeine and hiding it under sugar. However, I think this lawsuit might just mean that caffeine levels should be treated like calories: we should mandate that an estimate is listed next to the beverage so those with heart problems or the health conscientious can make more informed decisions.

[–] chaogomu@kbin.social 57 points 11 months ago (1 children)

400mg of caffeine is the daily maximum dose recommended by several health organizations. And that's for healthy adults. Keep in mind that one charged lemonade had more caffeine than a full can of Red Bull, and a full can of Monster combined. It also contained a lot of taurine which increases the effect of caffeine.

The charged lemonade does not taste caffeinated, and there were basically no warnings about it in store. The marketing and in store branding made it seem like a sort of Gatorade, i.e. an electrolyte drink.

It was also sold next to the fruit juices and such. Which would imply less caffeine.

It was also part of the unlimited sips program, providing free refills. Drinking two or three would cause a healthy adult to start having heart palpitations, and those who are at risk would go into cardiac arrest after one (which is what happened with the first death)


Since the first death, Panera has reduced the amount of caffeine in the lemonade, and many stores have started putting it behind the counter rather than out in the open. They've also added warnings about the caffeine content of the drinks, but still don't warn about the compounding effects of taurine.

These lawsuits are likely going to be settled out of court, because Panera did fuck up here, and they also don't want the bad press of multiple deaths linked to their overly caffeinated drink.

[–] Jaigoda@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago (6 children)

A few corrections:

400mg of caffeine is not considered a daily recommended maximum, but "an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects" (FDA). Most people can consume more than that and have no significant side effects.

The Charged Lemonade has more caffeine than most any other drinks... When you fill up a 30 oz container with it and don't add any ice. If you filled up the same container with an energy drink or coffee, it would have similar amounts of caffeine.

Aside from the possibility to associate "charged" with electrolytes, none of the marketing or branding of the drink implies that it's an electrolyte drink. Personally I would much sooner think that charged means energy, i.e. caffeine and the like, but that's just me.

A healthy adult consuming multiple of these beverages wouldn't likely experience any heart issues, but likely would have things like jitteriness and have a hard time falling asleep. And while people with heart conditions should definitely stay away from these drinks, "would go into cardiac arrest after one" is incredibly overblown. If that were the case, the deaths would be in the hundreds or thousands, not one or two.

Panera has only "reduced" the caffeine amounts in the drink by adding ice into the cup because they are now behind the counter, not by changing the formula of the drink.

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[–] blargerer@kbin.social 28 points 11 months ago (5 children)

https://youtu.be/N4wW85WZMJQ this video is probably not the best source, but it outlines the fundamental issue, which is mostly that people don't expect lemonade to be caffeinated and the labeling for it, although present, doesn't highlight it at all.

[–] MrQuallzin@lemmy.world 25 points 11 months ago

LegalEagle just did a video about it as well https://youtu.be/vKwrMD7zDvM?si=ZVTJJkqSAQ495Wml

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[–] CmdrShepard@lemmy.one 22 points 11 months ago (8 children)

Because he had high blood pressure, he did not consume energy drinks, it adds.

It explains it right there. He drank them without realizing what he was consuming because apparently it isn't obvious that it's an energy drink.

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[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 20 points 11 months ago (7 children)

They failed to properly set expectations. It was self-serve and publicly available, right next to other juices and teas. The expectation of customers, right or wrong, is that those sorts of products and placements mean that you can consume them at a fairly high rate.

They know their customer base, and know that their customer base regularly refills their drinks at the self-service station. They then created a drink that is unsafe to refill, as it would cause you to breach the maximum daily recommended dose.

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[–] AnonWyo@startrek.website 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Caffeine defense?

Username checks out.

EDIT: That being said, I agree with you for the most part, though I would charge that am exceedingly high caffeine level such as this should be clearly labeled.

The scary part for me is that, while this gentleman lived independently, I wonder if he would have been able to make the responsible choice to limit his intake or choose another drink if he was aware of the stimulant effects. Developmental disabilities can vastly alter critical thinking of things like that.

Bummer of a situation all around.

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[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 28 points 11 months ago (6 children)

Dennis Brown, of Fleming Island, Florida, drank three Charged Lemonades...

Brown, 46, had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay and a mild intellectual disability.

Because he had high blood pressure, he did not consume energy drinks, it adds.

Can someone explain why this is Panera Bread's fault?

[–] MataVatnik@lemmy.world 29 points 11 months ago (11 children)

390mg of caffeine on the lemonade. Who ever expects lemonade to have caffeine let alone 390mg? It's fucking insane. A can of coke has 35mg and thats enough to give me anxiety, sweats and tension. If I drank that thinking it was lemonade I would be fucked at another level.

[–] EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If I drank that thinking it was lemonade I would be fucked at another level.

To be fair that is frankly a ludicrous reaction for a healthy adult to have to 35mg of caffeine.

[–] MjolnirThyme@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 11 months ago

Thats not the point though, 390 mg is a lot even for a healthy adult.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@startrek.website 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

On top of that, it wasn't labeled well at all. It sounds like they did not stat the caffeine content on the dispenser, but even if it did, not everybody has a good reference of how fucking much 390mg is.

[–] Stephen304@lemmy.ml 12 points 11 months ago

It pretty much just looks like any other mundane nutrition facts. it doesn't call your attention to the amount at all or give any indication that 390mg might be high. I assumed it would be on the level of tea until I couldn't sleep at all the night after I had one (and I had it at like 2pm too, not even in the evening), and I still didn't make the connection until I later saw it in the news. I don't recall any other brand marketing using the term "charged" to indicate caffeine so I don't get people saying that everyone should understand that "charged" means caffeinated. "Spiked" and alcohol content sure, that's obvious, but "charged" is so vague.

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[–] n3m37h@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

They never disclosed how much caffeine/sugar was in the drink till after the first death. Too much caffeine can kill you.

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[–] starman2112@sh.itjust.works 9 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Because they sell what looks and tastes like normal lemonade, without any safeguards to make sure you don't accidentally drink four times the daily recommended limit in one sitting. The signs display the caffeine content in small text next to the calories, which you and I both know that nobody who doesn't count their calories reads. It's called "charged" lemonade, in small yellow text on the green sign. It's perfectly reasonable to assume that the lemonade in that lemonade dispenser is normal lemonade.

But why hold them accountable? Starbucks wouldn't be in trouble if you drank 90 oz of coffee!

Coffee obviously has caffeine, it's the kind of inseparable from the concept of it. Same goes to a lesser extent with many sodas–anyone who has to watch their caffeine likely knows that coke and doctor pepper have caffeine. But lemonade? Who sells caffeinated lemonade? I guess G-Fuel does, but someone with a heart condition probably knows not to order G-Fuel.

Lemonade is the safe choice when you don't want caffeine, because to my knowledge nobody (besides Panera bread) has ever sold caffeinated lemonade out of self-service dispensers.

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[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago

I need to get more of that fucking lemonade.

[–] ArugulaZ@kbin.social 19 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That charged lemonade is going to be a big hit in 2024, I tell 'ya.

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[–] calypsopub@lemmy.world 17 points 11 months ago (11 children)

I have tachycardia and I'm supposed to avoid caffeine. But I could easily not read the fine print and drink this. Who expects caffeine in their lemonade?

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

They very clearly advertise this lemonade as being caffeinated in all the signage I've seen in their stores. They even tell you how much is in each size, which is quite substantial. The biggest size is right at the cusp of the daily recommended maximum for caffeine (similar to a large can of Monster or Rockstar) at a whopping 390mg (and for reference, the daily max is 400mg).

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[–] zacharoid@kbin.social 14 points 11 months ago

Was just there, they recently moved them behind the counter, this time they were completely gone.

[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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