Sarah Baus (@sarahebaus) ordered a new type of lemonade at Panera Bread before completing her work in the restaurant. After getting a few free refills of the drink while completing her tasks, she realized she was feeling extremely energetic and wondered what she was drinking. After checking the nutritional facts, she discovered she had been consuming more than twice the FDA recommended caffeine intake.

The Panera Charged lemonade has proven to be deadly since its release in 2022. University of Pennsylvania student Sarah Katz died in October after consuming the drink. Katz, 21, had a heart condition and avoided energy drinks at the recommendation of her doctors, according to the lawsuit filed. Panera is facing a second lawsuit after 46-year-old Dennis Brown suffered from cardiac arrest after consuming the drink. 

The beverage has since swept the nation as one of the strangest internet crazes in 2023: thousands of reviews have been trending on TikTok, and the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has dubbed the beverage as “the Panera lemonade that kills you.” Panera has addressed the controversy by implementing warnings in stores and online, in addition to ominously relocating the drink dispenser behind the counter. 

The Charged lemonade comes in three flavors: Blood Orange Charged Splash, Mango Yuzu Citrus and Strawberry Lemon Mint. The drink only comes in sizes 20 ounces and 30 ounces, and Panera offers free refills. A large cup of the Strawberry Mint Panera Charged Lemonade contains 390 milligrams of caffeine–more caffeine than in four cups of coffee. For reference, one shot of espresso contains 64 milligrams of caffeine.

To put this into perspective, the FDA recommends no more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. In addition to coffee extract, the beverage is also charged with guarana extract, which contains–you guessed it–more caffeine. This, in addition to 24 and a half teaspoons of white cane sugar, creates a product that is sure to have the consumer bouncing off the walls for just $4.19 or free with the Panera Unlimited Sip Club subscription. 

This is even more concerning when Panera has upped their promotion of the Unlimited Sip Club subscription in spite of the recent deaths: sponsored ads on TikTok promote how Unlimited Sip Club members can treat themselves to unlimited drinks for $3 a month while using a trending sound to gain traction on social media. 

I decided the best way for me to understand the craze surrounding the drink was to try it myself. I ordered the 20-ounce Charged Lemonade in the Strawberry Lemon Mint flavor, though the Panera employees made me an additional Mango Yuzu Citrus Charged lemonade to make up for the wait, serving a total of 393 milligrams of caffeine as they trusted I paid attention to the previous warnings. 

As I put the straw into the drinks, my friend pointed out that he could smell the sugar and caffeine from across the table, saying it smelled as potent as a vodka cranberry drink. Still fizzing at the top, the Strawberry Lemon Mint flavor was slightly sweet with a lot more tang indicating it may contain something it shouldn’t. 

The Mango Yuzu Citrus flavor was much sweeter and tasted like a juice I could grab in the CUB between classes. I enjoyed this flavor much more and likely would have downed it if I was unaware of its contents, and I’m glad I hadn’t: as a daily coffee drinker with a high caffeine tolerance, I had only a few sips of each beverage before I could feel myself begin to shake involuntarily while my peripheral vision began to blur. 

As colorful energy drinks begin to become deathly, it also becomes increasingly apparent who their target market is: children and teens. With colorful labels, fruity flavors and apparent internet trends, normalizing this consumption of caffeine may affect the development of the brains of children and teens, as sleep is integral for healthy development of the brain. 

While the drink may not cause death for everyone, anyone who consumes this amount of caffeine in one sitting can experience anxiousness, jitters, headaches or even heart palpitations. If energy drinks are regularly consumed, they may also pose more serious long-term health risks, such as abnormal heart rhythms, according to healthmatters.org. 

Panera Bread currently advertises its Charged Lemonade online as a “naturally flavored” and “plant-based” beverage that contains caffeine. It also notes that the drink should be consumed in moderation and is not recommended for children, as well as those who are pregnant, nursing or sensitive to caffeine.

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