Sarah Katz, 21, had a heart condition and was not aware of the drink’s caffeine content, which exceeded that of cans of Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined, according to a legal filing

  • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    Just looking at the photo in the article, it looks clear to me how much caffeine is in it:

    Unclear if that’s a “before” or “after” photo though.

    • jonne
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      11 months ago

      If I saw that, I wouldn’t really have any idea how much 260mg of caffeine is, compared to your average espresso shot. IMHO there probably should be some kind of upper limit to the amount of caffeine you can put in a drink (or at least be forced to call it something other than ‘lemonade’).

      • glimse@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Yeah I doubt most coffee/tea/soda drinkers could tell you how much caffeine is in their drinks. 260mg means nothing to me without a baseline

            • Krauerking@lemy.lol
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              11 months ago

              No, it’s really just insane how much caffeine they put in this Panera bread lemonade.

              Like seriously this is like drinking 4 energy drinks, literally more caffeine than a 5 hour energy shot and that’s at the small size. This is a horrifying amount of caffeine that they think people are drinking.

              Edit: did the math because why not and drinking the 30 fl oz is like taking a 10 hour energy.

      • hotdaniel@lemmy.zip
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        11 months ago

        Help me understand how much 260mg of caffeine is by comparing it to standard caffinated drinks

        Searching for: caffeine content of common drinks

        Generating answers for you…

        Sure, I can help you with that. According to the Mayo Clinic1, the caffeine content of common drinks can vary depending on the type, brand, and brewing method. Here are some examples of how much caffeine is in different drinks, based on the average values from various sources2345:

        A 12-ounce (355 mL) can of cola has about 34-44 mg of caffeine. A 12-ounce (355 mL) can of energy drink has about 71.9 mg of caffeine. An 8-ounce (237 mL) cup of brewed black coffee has about 80-150 mg of caffeine. An 8-ounce (237 mL) cup of brewed green tea has about 30 mg of caffeine. A 2-ounce (60 mL) shot of energy shot has about 215 mg of caffeine. So, if you consume 260 mg of caffeine, that is equivalent to:

        About 6 to 8 cans of cola About 3 to 4 cans of energy drink About 2 to 3 cups of brewed black coffee About 9 to 10 cups of brewed green tea About one shot of energy shot I hope this helps you understand how much caffeine is in different drinks. Remember, the FDA recommends no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day for most adults. Too much caffeine can cause side effects such as insomnia, anxiety, and high blood pressure. So, drink responsibly and enjoy your caffeinated beverages in moderation. 😊

      • ℛ𝒶𝓋ℯ𝓃@pawb.social
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        11 months ago

        Edit: Yes, it’s visible. No, I don’t think it’s a good idea. Fuck corporate Panera, sue away. If it hurts our wages we’ll just protest corporate.

      • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        That’s a super good question, it’s not clear, but it’s also not clear if that’s how she bought the drink.

    • wahming@monyet.cc
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      11 months ago

      How visible is that sign from the order counter? Also, visually handicapped customers would have no idea.

    • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social
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      11 months ago

      To be fair, the average person is probably not going to really know how much caffeine is a lot of caffeine if you just give them the number, and the fact that people usually drink higher volumes of lemonade than dark coffee might lead to confusion as well. Plus, people don’t generally expect caffeine in lemonade, so it’s easy to imagine someone just going for the big flavor label and just figuring the smaller stuff is just nutrition labels and ignoring it.

      I’m not really sure the best way to label this, it doesn’t seem like a great product idea at all tbh, but given the combination of potentially dangerous amounts of caffeine and it being a product one wouldn’t normally expect to contain any, I’d think that the labelling should be set up in a way as to be impossible to make assumptions about or ignore. Like, make it as big as the flavor label, in a box of a different color usually used for warnings like red or bright orange or something, and mention that the quantity of caffeine involved can be dangerous to those sensitive in addition to just the number.

      • brognak@lemm.ee
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        11 months ago

        As a caffeine fiend and energy drink afficianado, holy fucking shit that an obnoxious amount of caffeine in a fountain drink imo

        I’m with you, this needs to be sold individually in cans not free pourable.

      • Jaigoda@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        If you have a heart condition or generally just a high sensitivity to caffeine, it’s pretty important to know how much is a lot. The vast majority of people do not have any serious issues consuming 300mg or so of caffeine, so putting a bunch of big scary labels on this stuff just seems like overkill. For example, if you have a peanut allergy, it’s generally on you to check the allergen list in the fine print, or if you have Celiac disease, you need to either buy stuff specifically labeled gluten-free or confirm with a restaurant, manufacturer, etc.

        The fact that all of their signs have not just one, but three separate indicators (“charged”, as much caffeine as coffee, and the specific caffeine amount) for anyone who might have a sensitivity is enough to show Panera’s due diligence in my opinion.

        I do get your point that people wouldn’t automatically assume there’s caffeine in Panera’s random juice drinks, but caffeine is absolutely everywhere right now. I’d personally love for caffeine to be required to be listed in the nutrition label of drinks (or food that contains it) so you would know how much is in a Mountain Dew or Coke. But until that happens, I don’t see how Panera could be seen as liable in this situation.

      • jimbo@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        400mg of caffeine is not potentially dangerous unless you’re one of the unlucky few people who have a heart condition. Even then, people with heart conditions aren’t necessarily dropping dead because they drank some caffeine.

    • Sarmyth@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      11 months ago

      That’s how it was signed every time I’ve been into a Panera. They’ve been catering to the study crowd (and remote workers) for a while now. Before the pandemic, it was common to see the Panera bread near the college full til closing with people having coffee and using the wifi.

      Saying they didn’t know it was cafinated feels like a failing on their part. The “charged” part of the name made me assume it at first sight , myself.

    • June@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      Needs to be bigger and brighter imo. It looks like standard nutrition info which I omits never look at.