A LEMONADE brimming with enough caffeine to allegedly kill a young woman could be confused for a regular drink by children, a lawyer has warned.

Sarah Katz consumed the Panera Charged Lemonade with 390mgs of caffeine hours before she entered into cardiac arrest and died, a lawsuit filed by her family alleges.

Now, her family’s lawyer Elizabeth Crawford is urging consumers to stay on high alert if they ever bring little ones to the restaurant.

“[Her parents] want to make the public aware of the hidden danger of the lemonade,” she exclusively told The U.S. Sun.

On September 10, 2022, Katz, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, collapsed at a birthday dinner with friends and went into cardiac arrest.

She was raced to the hospital but died from a dangerous heart rhythm brought on by a heart condition.

The young woman suffered from long QT syndrome type 1 and was instructed by her doctor to avoid energy drinks.

Katz was normally meticulous about her diet, but had consumed a massive 30oz of Panera’s Charged Lemonade hours earlier with her new SIP Club Membership, a lawsuit seen by The U.S. Sun alleges.

According to Panera’s website, the drink has 390mgs of caffeine, which is more than Monster Energy and Red Bull combined.

Last week, Katz’s family filed a civil suit alleging that Panera was partially responsible for their daughter’s death due to misleading marketing.

Explaining the suit, Crawford said: “Panera Bread is a chain restaurant that’s known for being a healthy alternative to other fast food.

“And lemonade is a product that’s usually known for being safe for children.

“So the fact of the matter is Panera Bread had a duty to warn its customers if that was not the case.”

According to Crawford, Katz made sure to take her medicine regularly and schedule visits with cardiologists.

“All of her cardiac appointments were normal. She wasn’t doing anything excessive as far as exercise,” Crawford said.

“Everything else was status quo.

“The only change was that she drank this lemonade.”

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‘HIDDEN ENERGY DRINK’

Crawford explained that an energy drink is any caffeinated beverage with additional stimulants.

Not only does the Charged Lemonade have considerable amounts of caffeine with a heaping dose of sugar, but it also contains guarana, which has twice the concentration of caffeine as coffee, Crawford said.

On Panera’s website, the Charged Lemonade is described as “plant-based and clean with as much caffeine as our dark roast coffee.”

In the lawsuit, Crawford and her team are alleging that this is false, as the largest-sized coffee has considerably less caffeine than the 30oz lemonade.

Located right by the soda fountain in most restaurants, Crawford warns parents that children have easy access to the spiked drink.

“If you have a cup, you can refill it, and anyone in the restaurant would have access to be able to do that, including children.

“There’s is concern that because it’s indicated that it’s a lemonade, children may drink it unknowingly… it’s a dangerous beverage.”

In the wrongful death civil suit, Crawford and her team allege that Panera was aware of the potential harms of the drink and are asking for compensatory damages.

Days after the suit was filed, a Panera spokesperson said the brand would be enhancing all disclosures on the caffeine content of the drink, NBC News reports.

The new notice recommends the drink be consumed in moderation and not by children or pregnant or nursing women.

After seeing the updated language, Crawford said there are still improvements to be made.

“It’s misleading in the sense that it’s not indicating that it is an energy drink,” she told NBC News.

“I’m happy that we are moving in a direction of making a change, but I consider these baby steps.”

The U.S. Sun has contacted Panera Bread for comment, but a spokesperson provided an earlier statement saying they were “very saddened” to hear about the tragic passing of Katz.

“At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients,” the statement given to NBC News reads.

“We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”

Katz’s family is hoping that their daughter’s heartbreaking story can be a warning to help prevent other tragedies, and will fight to prove they were wronged, Crawford said.

“One of Sarah’s favorite quotes was, ‘When you save one life, you save the world,'” Crawford said.

“And that’s essentially what the family’s objective is – to make the public aware and to prevent this same situation from happening to someone else, someone else’s child, someone else’s loved one.”