The family of a University of Pennsylvania student who died at 21 is urging lawmakers to strengthen caffeine‑labeling requirements, saying clearer warnings could prevent future tragedies.
Sarah Katz, a Penn student known for what friends described as “incredible energy and joy,” died in 2022 after consuming a highly caffeinated beverage her family says she never would have chosen had she known its caffeine content. Katz had a pre‑existing heart condition and avoided such drinks, her mother said.
“Your life is divided in two — before we lost Sarah and after we lost Sarah,” her mother, Jill Katz, said in an interview.
Katz said her daughter believed the drink was safe because the packaging did not clearly disclose how much caffeine it contained. “No parent could ever imagine this happening to them. You think, ‘That’ll be somebody else, that’s a different story,’ and then it’s you,” she said…