Starbucks has revamped its menu this month, offering customers what it describes as “the best jump-start” despite the Panera energy drink fiasco.
The popular coffee chain began offering three new high-caffeine drinks — Melon Burst Iced Energy, Tropical Citrus Iced Energy and Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with strawberry puree — on June 25, less than six months after someone filed another lawsuit against Panera Bread.
Starbucks wrote in its press release that the energy drinks are meant to “elevate your day with a sugar-free energy boost” and contain between 140 and 205 mg of caffeine.
The bold decision to offer energy drinks comes after Panera’s recently removed Charged Lemonade beverages, which contained up to 390 mg of caffeine in the restaurant’s 30-ounce container, reportedly caused a litany of problems, from cardiac arrest to death.
The family of late Pennsylvania college student Sarah Katz filed the first of four recent lawsuits in October 2023.
Starbucks began offering three new energy drinks at its U.S. locations on June 25 following the removal of Charged Lemonade drinks from Panera Bread’s U.S. menus.
Panera Bread was hit with at least four separate lawsuits between October 2023 and January 2024 after consumers claimed they suffered health complications from its spiked lemonades.
The family of late Pennsylvania college student Sarah Katz filed the first of three recent lawsuits in October 2023.
Katz, who had a pre-existing heart condition, died after drinking a large spiked lemonade in 2022.
The death of a disabled Florida man was also allegedly linked to Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade, and his family filed a lawsuit against the restaurant chain in December 2023.
A Maryland woman later filed a lawsuit last January against Panera Bread, claiming its spiked lemonade had caused her “permanent” injuries.
However, despite the lawsuits, a Panera Bread spokesperson said the removal of Charged Lemonade was part of a “menu transformation” and was due to customer feedback.
Pictured: Starbucks’ newest flavors: Melon Burst Iced Energy, Tropical Citrus Iced Energy and Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with strawberry puree.
Sarah Katz (pictured) died on September 10, 2022, just hours after consuming a large Charged Lemonade at a Panera Bread branch in Philadelphia.
“We listened to more than 30,000 guests about what they wanted from Panera, and now we will focus on the broad range of beverages we know our guests want, ranging from exciting, on-trend flavors to low-sugar, low-caffeine options,” a Panera spokesperson said of its decision to discontinue the drink.
Following the three other lawsuits, a Pennsylvania teenager filed court papers in May, alleging that the Panera energy drink caused him to have a heart attack.
Luke Adams, 18, said he consumed the drink on March 9. Just two and a half hours later, a friend who was with Luke found him making strange noises and discovered he had suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
Fortunately, two nurses and a cardiologist were also in the operating room at the time and began performing CPR while an automated external defibrillator was brought in and used to shock him.
A regular size of Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade was 20 ounces and had 260 milligrams of caffeine.
Luke Adams, 18, said he consumed the drink on March 9. Just two and a half hours later, a friend who was with Luke found him making strange noises and discovered he had suffered sudden cardiac arrest.
