Student ‘suffered a cardiac arrest’ and died after drinking ‘dangerous’ Panera lemonade

A student has tragically lost her life after suffering a cardiac arrest shortly after drinking Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade, according to a lawsuit filed by her grieving family.

Sarah Katz was a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania when she suffered a cardiac arrest after purchasing the beverage, according to court documents filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Monday (23 October).

Katz had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 - a heart-signaling disorder where heartbeats can often be fast and chaotic.

Facebook/Sarah Katz

In the wrongful death lawsuit obtained by NBC News, Katz avoided energy drinks as per her doctor's recommendation.

Her college roommate, Victoria Rose Conroy, told NBC Katy was "very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe."

"I guarantee if Sarah had known how much caffeine this was, she never would have touched it with a 10-foot pole," the roommate added.

Katz ordered the lemonade as part of a meal at a Philadelphia Panera location in September 2022, without realizing it contained 390 milligrams of caffeine.

To put into context, that is more than three times 11 milligrams of caffeine found in a standard can of Red Bull.

Katz “consumed the Panera Charged Lemonade, reasonably confident it was a traditional lemonade," according to the complaint.

But on the same day, Katz suffered a 'cardiac arrest' while out with her friends at a restaurant in her apartment building, according to the complaint.

The family’s attorneys have accused Panera Bread of failing to provide warning “of any potentially dangerous effects…on blood pressure, heart rate, and/or brain function."

Facebook/Sarah Katz

In a statement released on Monday (23 October), a Panera spokesperson said: "We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family. At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter."

The complaint claims the drink was advertised as a 'plant-based and clean' drink 'with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee'.

The complaint went on to say the beverage which Katz consumed includes guarana extract, alongside the equivalent of nearly 30 teaspoons of sugar.

The devastated family also alleged in the complaint that the said beverage was part of its 'Sip Club', which customers are urged to “drink unlimited Panera Charged Lemonade every day.”