They will sell "cake, ham, cheese, and syrup" for fifteen-year-olds in Cuba's bodegas.

The news is causing astonishment on social media, and people doubt that the government will maintain the offer for long.

Cake, bodeguero y sirope © CiberCuba
Cake, grocer, and syrupPhoto © CiberCuba

The government of Sancti Spiritus announced that in the basic basket for July, there will be changes and sweet surprises for some lucky ones who will be able to eat cake.

In the midst of the food crisis affecting Cubans, Escambray interviewed Ariel Fernández Martín, director of the Business Group of Commerce in Sancti Spiritus, who stated that starting this month and in a permanent manner, the delivery of a food module for children turning 15 years old begins.

The package, available for a modest price, contains: "A cake, finger sandwiches, cookies, cheese, cream cheese, a bag of soda or syrup, a pack of hot dogs, and a one-kilogram tube of ham." In other words, the essentials for hosting a child's birthday party.

The official emphasized that in July, the benefit will reach 421 teenagers and that the food module was approved as "a national policy for the care of children and youth."

"All assortments will be controlled by the supply booklet in the retail units of each territory, whether they are in urban, rural, or Plan Turquino areas," he pointed out. The beneficiaries are monitored by the Commercial Registry Offices based on a census they hold.

It was not specified whether this food module will be sold to all fifteen-year-olds in Cuba, nor for how long the measure will be in effect.

The food crisis in Cuba has been so profound for decades that even birthday cakes have been regulated during various periods.

Cake for Mother's Day has also been sold through the ration book, but these "initiatives" were suspended years ago due to the shortages that persist in state institutions that produce these foods.

Many Cuban parents do not have the resources to celebrate their children's birthdays.

At the beginning of 2024, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) released a report revealing that 9% of children in Cuba suffer from severe food poverty.

Minors on the island only have access to a maximum of two out of the eight essential foods for a healthy life.

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