He goes to the store to get bread and comes back with the empty bag: "Things that happen in my beautiful little Cuba."

A Cuban mother, identified as Brianna on TikTok (@rodriguez20245), shared that she was unable to buy the regulated bread due to a lack of flour. In a video published on her account, she explained that she woke up early as she does every morning, but when she arrived at the bakery, she found it closed. "There is no bread in the store because there is no flour," she said. Her testimony has sparked a wave of reactions on social media.

"I woke up really early to go to the bakery to get my daily bread, and when I arrived, I was surprised to find that the bakery was closed," he recounted. He added that he came back home with "empty bags," only with the supply notebook, and was thinking about what he could come up with for breakfast. "There was no choice but to go to the little kiosk on the corner and buy a small pack of soda crackers. That little pack of cookies cost me 180 pesos... and well, I ended up eating them with mayonnaise," he explained. "These are the things that happen in my beautiful Cuba," he concluded.

At the time of this report, the video had accumulated over 143,000 views on TikTok, along with thousands of comments expressing empathy, concern, and surprise. "May God have mercy on this noble Cuban people," commented one user. "Dear Father, bless Cuba with an abundance of food," wrote another. Some wondered how her son was dealing with the situation, to which Brianna replied: "He will lack for nothing. Maybe we will go without food, but he won’t, you can be sure of that."

Some suggested making homemade bread or alternatives like arepas, while others offered to send flour or financial assistance from abroad. Comparisons were also made with the situation in Venezuela, Mexico, or Nicaragua, where several users stated that they did not face similar difficulties in accessing basic food items.

It’s not the first time Brianna has documented the daily struggles in Cuba. At the beginning of April, she shared how much she spent on groceries for her baby: 1,080 Cuban pesos for just two or three days. She also showed her ration book with the meat section empty, which she keeps “like gold” because it is one of the few ways to access regulated products.

A national crisis that is worsening

The case of Brianna adds to numerous reports regarding the shortage of flour and bread in Cuba. On February 26, authorities suspended bread production across the province of Matanzas, except in its capital, due to a lack of raw materials. On March 20, an official from the Cuban Bread Company publicly acknowledged that there was only enough bread for one day in that area.

In Santiago de Cuba, the price of bread surged to 50 pesos per unit last March, while in Havana, reports indicate that lines stretch into the night. Users describe waiting for hours just to obtain two units of rationed bread, which are sometimes unavailable due to power outages or interruptions in production.

In Bayamo, bread vendors were involved in a violent rock-throwing brawl. The event was recorded by neighbors and shared on social media. The incident reflects the level of social tension and competition for basic products like bread, in an environment marked by scarcity and speculation.

The supply booklet, which once represented a guarantee of food security, is now a symbol of shortages. The government has acknowledged delays, a lack of products, and logistical issues, without offering effective solutions. In December 2024, it announced that it would gradually eliminate the Cuban Bread Chain, although no visible improvements have emerged so far.

Brianna's testimony becomes another portrait of daily precariousness. "Maybe we will go without eating," she said, "but my son must not lack anything." A phrase that encapsulates the struggle of thousands of Cuban families to survive amid the economic crisis.

Frequently Asked Questions about Food Shortages and the Situation in Cuba