The bigger question, in my view, is why should Americans rely on a law firm, and the eventual decisions of a judge and jury in Delaware to decide what will effectively be a national standard for caffeinated lemonade? The answer is that the United States’ regulatory bodies are far too feeble to sufficiently protect the public against hazardous products, and so they essentially outsource this task to consumers and the lawyers who represent them. In peer nations—like, for instance, the United Kingdom—the government imposes strict and consistent regulations on the front end: It requires warning labels on drinks with more than 150 mg of caffeine and bans the sale of these drinks to children under 16. In the U.S., by contrast, the FDA barely regulates caffeine: It does not require manufacturers to include caffeine on the ingredient list of many caffeinated beverages, let alone disclose the amount of caffeine on the label. Nor does the U.S. government bar any consumers from buying ultra-caffeinated products, mandate an explicit warning label, or monitor advertisements. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/12/panera-charged-lemonade-that-kills-you-lawsuit-facts.html

having caffeine labels on products would blow my mind. i didn’t even think about it until seeing this, but of course slightly-more-normal countries provide labels because it’s a profoundly powerful drug. i have been steadily weaning myself down over the last decade–i used to be a complete freakshow–and it’s not easy given how prevalent it is and how we have to look shit up online to know how much is in something. i would say i’m somewhere between 50-75 mg / day, with the occasional jump up to 150 mg which feels “intense”. i can absolutely have days under 40 mg or even 0 mg and not get a headache or anything… but i will really want to siesta in the afternoon lol. and now i really appreciate the perk of a cup of green tea or even black tea if i’m feeling daring.

one of these lemonades would fuck me up lmao.