PHILADEPHIA — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed with Channel 2 Action News Wednesday night that they are now gathering information about the death of a 21-year-old college student after she drank a caffeinated lemonade from Panera bread.
Sarah Katz died last year after drinking a Panera “Charged Lemonade,” according to her family.
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Katz suffered from a rare heart condition and went into cardiac arrest hours after buying the drink at a Philadelphia Panera store.
A new lawsuit filed by her parents this week claims that Katz, who took her condition seriously and was very careful to avoid caffeine, would not have died if she had not drank the lemonade.
Lawyers argued that the drink was improperly labeled, and Katz, who avoided caffeine, would not have consumed the drink if she knew it contained high levels of caffeine.
Channel 2 Action News was one of the first news outlets to report on the lawsuit on Monday.
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The FDA announced that they are now gathering information about Katz’s death, and issued a statement, saying:
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“The FDA is saddened to hear of the passing of a consumer and as always, takes seriously reports of illnesses or injury from regulated products. At this point, we are gathering information about this event.”
The agency added that it “monitors the marketplace of FDA-regulated products and takes action as appropriate, including collaborating with the Federal Trade Commission regarding marketing claims.”
Panera has yet to comment on the FDA gathering information on the case, but made a statement on Monday, reading:
“We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family. At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”
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