Panera to stop serving ‘Charged Sips’ drinks after wrongful death lawsuits over caffeine content

Panera Bread said it’s discontinuing its Charged Sips drinks that were tied to at least two wrongful death lawsuits due to their high caffeine content. Panera didn’t say Tuesday whether the drinks were being discontinued because of the lawsuits or health concerns. It also wouldn’t comment on the timeline for removing them from stores. The St. Louis-based company introduced Charged Sips in the spring of 2022. In the fall of 2023, Panera was sued by the families of two people with heart conditions who died after drinking Charged Lemonades at Panera. The families say Panera didn’t properly warn customers that the drinks contained so much caffeine.