When I previously donated blood at the DRK, not only did I always get a Bockwurst&Brötchen along with a selection of beverages (water, cola, coffee, tea, etc.) but also a little gift bag containing a variety of little food and drink items, like a banana, an apple, little bottles/packets of fruit juice, (fruit/chocolate/etc.) joghurt cups, all in all maybe ~5-7€ worth.
Seems incredibly unethical to exploit starving people by feeding them for selling their body. Horrible stuff. But from the nation that brought us our greatest human experimentation regimen, hardly surprising.
> But from the nation that brought us our greatest human experimentation regimen, hardly surprising.
This is not a fair judgement in this situation. I think money is a far more perverse incentive for donating blood than snacks. Also the snacks are more about helping people increase their blood sugar after giving blood than incentivizing them.
> But from the nation that brought us our greatest human experimentation regimen, hardly surprising.
To assume good faith here I'd have to assume wherever you are you've never donated blood?
When you donate blood you've lost a pint of fluids. They give you something to drink to work on rehydrating.
The sugar in the juice and the sugary snacks are to help give you a bit of energy since... you just lost a pint of blood.
Which is to say this is pretty standard everywhere. It's not payment. The ice pack after my vasectomy wasn't "payment for population control". It's healthcare.
I tend to donate at churches and community centers because the food is more often homemade. Chatting with them old ladies is great.
The red cross also has their "rewards" program but it's nonsense stuff like water bottles. I think you can exchange points for Amazon gift cards. Like $15/year.
