The Panera Bread “Charged Lemonade” is continuing to draw interest online over its high caffeine content. A TikToker most recently went viral for saying Panera is “lowkey killing everyone” with the new beverage, which contains the amount of caffeine in roughly four cups of coffee.
The viral video, which has over 339,900 views and was posted this week by TikTok user Zahra (@zahra.mayy), shows the TikToker and her friend at a Panera location looking at other customers try Panera’s new lemonade.
“Panera lowkey killing everyone with the new Charged Lemonades,” the TikToker captioned the video. “Why do they have so much caffeine?”
@zahra.mayy Why do they have so much caffeine #panera ♬ if you use this sound follow me – mvds
As previously reported by the Daily Dot: Panera is a bakery and cafe chain with over 2,000 locations across the United States and Canada. Its new caffeinated “Charged Lemonade”—which was released earlier in the year and is currently available for purchase at 36 locations—comes in mango yuzu, apple cranberry, and strawberry lemon mint flavors, according to Panera Bread’s website.
On average, there are 388 milligrams of caffeine in a large, 30-ounce serving, which comes out to nearly 13 milligrams per ounce. For comparison, a Monster Energy drink only contains 10 milligrams of caffeine per ounce.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a limit of 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, the equivalent of nearly 4-5 cups of coffee—or one large serving of a Charged Lemonade.
On top of the high levels of caffeine, the beverage also contains on average 107 grams of sugar per large drink. For reference, the American Heart Association recommends an intake of only 25 to 36 grams of sugar per day.
The release of the lemonade came shortly before Panera’s announcement in April that it will be offering an unlimited beverage service for only $10.99 per month, with a short-term promotion offering free subscriptions until July.
While the TikToker who posted the viral video restricted access to its comments section, other TikToks have gone viral for criticizing the lemonade. Additionally, users on Twitter and Reddit have also debated the beverage, noting the danger of its high caffeine and sugar concentration, a lack of warnings on its signage, and the risk of children mistakenly drinking the lemonade without knowing its caffeine content.
Excess caffeine can cause serious impacts on the body, including insomnia, anxiety, increased heart rate, nausea, mood changes, and headaches. In addition, children, teenagers, and those with medical conditions are more sensitive to the negative impacts of caffeine, according to the FDA.
On the other hand, some TikTokers went viral for praising the lemonade, noting they were impressed by its cheap price, flavor, and caffeine content.
Panera Bread’s press team did not respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email. The Daily Dot attempted to reach the TikToker (@zahra.mayy) for comment but was not able to locate any method of contact.
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