French town rewards blood donors with gourmet pastries

A blood donation centre in south-west France is launching a new drive this week - and offering gourmet pastries from an acclaimed chef to encourage people to take part.

The town of Albi, located northeast of Toulouse, has come up with an original idea to encourage more people to donate blood by partnering with a local pastry chef to create gourmet treats people can enjoy on their way out. 

“Blood products constitute a vital treatment for patients,” the town of Albi said.

Faced with the need for blood donations, the centre decided to partner with Cédric Millet, pastry chef and owner of Cédric Millet Pâtisserie Fine. Every donor will be offered a gourmet pastry as a token of appreciation.

Mr Millet was also recently included in La Liste, a website that ranks the world’s best restaurants and pastry shops.

Who can donate blood in France?

Generally, most people between the ages of 18 and 70 who weigh over 50kg are able to donate blood in France. 

If aged between 60 and 70, you may need a doctor’s approval in order to do so.

Nobody aged over 71 can donate. 

Additionally, those who lived in the UK for at least one year between January 1980 and December 1996 cannot give blood in France. This is due to the outbreak of ‘mad cow’ (Creutzfeldt-Jakob) disease. This is not restricted to Britons but includes anyone who lived in the UK during this time.

Other reasons that someone can be prohibited from giving blood include: having a previous transfusion or transplant at any point in life, people who might transmit a disease-causing bacterium, virus or parasite through blood, or a viral infection acquired by sexual contact, or those who are pregnant.

Britons who are banned from giving blood on this basis but who are healthy can still donate blood to be used for non-therapeutic reasons.

Anyone wishing to donate to the Albi blood donation centre can find more information here: https://albi.fr/que-faire-a-albi/agenda/collecte-de-sang-gastronome