Dunkin’ has introduced a new energy drink to its menu, just as its rival Panera Bread grapples with multiple lawsuits related to its own heavily caffeinated beverage.
According to a press release, the company has launched its latest SPARKD’ Energy drink line, featuring flavors like Peach Sunshine and Berry Burst.
Dunkin’ is joining the energy drink trend with a beverage that contains 192 milligrams of caffeine and 37 grams of sugar in its largest size, as stated on the company’s website.
In comparison, Panera’s competitor, Charged Lemonade, packs 236 milligrams of caffeine in a similar serving size. A viral video by TikTok creator Sarah Baus in December 2023 highlighted that one Charged Lemonade packs the caffeine punch equivalent to about four cups of espresso.
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For context, the Food and Drug Administration specifies that healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine a day.
The Panera drink has been at the center of multiple lawsuits dating back to last year.
In a recent case, a 28-year-old woman from Rhode Island claimed that the highly caffeinated lemonade from Panera resulted in “permanent cardiac injuries” for her. According to her complaint, she now relies on daily medication and suffers from heart issues after consuming 2 ½ Charged Lemonades in April 2023.
Her lawsuit represented at least the third legal complaint in recent months against Panera concerning its Charged Lemonade.
A lawsuit filed in October claims that Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, passed away after consuming Charged Lemonade. Katz, who had a heart condition known as long QT syndrome type 1, refrained from consuming energy drinks as per her doctors’ advice, according to the filing.
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Following the first lawsuit, Panera Bread announced that all of its stores across North America would include more comprehensive disclosures about the beverage on their premises, website, and app.
The language indicates that Charged Lemonade should be consumed moderately and is not advised for children, individuals sensitive to caffeine, or pregnant or nursing women.
Another fatality was attributed to the caffeinated beverage in a lawsuit filed in December by the family of a Florida man. Dennis Brown, 46, who had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, consumed three Charged Lemonades from a nearby Panera on October 9, subsequently experiencing a fatal cardiac arrest on his journey home, according to the suit.
Panera expressed “our heartfelt sympathy for Mr. Brown’s family” and reiterated its confidence in the safety of its products.
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