Families of children who have undergone life-saving transplants have expressed outrage over the sale of 'human organ lunch bags' being sold by UK retailers for Christmas. The insulated bags, supplied by The Diabolical Gift People, have been available on Debenhams' website for £18.99 and in Next stores.
Organ donation campaigner Terry Archbold, whose daughter Beatrix waited 15 months for a heart transplant, described the product as 'in extremely poor taste'. He said many families are thinking of loved ones who have donated organs, and the bags are 'simply out of order'.
Kaylee-Ann Davidson-Olley, the first successful heart transplant baby in the UK, found the bags on sale in a Next store in Newcastle and asked for them to be removed. The store complied and apologised, but she is campaigning for a nationwide removal, noting that 8,000 people are on the transplant waiting list.
Next confirmed the item would be removed from all stores with immediate effect. The Diabolical Gift People defended the product, stating it has been enjoyed by healthcare professionals and some transplant recipients, but acknowledged humour is subjective. They said the bag was not intended to cause offence and that a third of their team are registered organ donors.
The controversy comes as the UK operates an opt-out organ donation system under Max and Keira's Law, named after a campaign by the Daily Mirror.
