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The authorities of Camagüey announced the distribution of Sonríe brand toothpaste as part of the regulated family basket, in news released by Radio Camagüey through the Cadena Agramonte, which sparked a wave of sarcastic comments on social media.
According to the official announcement, one tube of toothpaste will be distributed for households with one to six members, two tubes for compositions of seven to ten members, and three tubes for homes with eleven or more people.
The distribution will be carried out gradually due to transportation fuel limitations, as acknowledged by the official source itself.
Along with the toothpaste, a free distribution of four kilograms of rice was announced for the March-April bimonthly period, aimed at pregnant women and vulnerable individuals, whose lists are already available at the selected units from the previous phase.
Sources from the Camagüey Business Commerce Group confirmed the availability of rice allocated for this specific sector throughout the year 2026, clarifying that this food item is not part of the regulated family basket.
Additionally, a kilogram of refined sugar is sold in the city at a non-subsidized price per capita for children aged zero to 13 years, pregnant women, and vulnerable individuals, as a result of local self-management initiatives.
The news, however, was met with dark humor by Cubans on social media, who encapsulated the situation with a phrase that quickly went viral: "There will be hunger but never a plague of the mouth".
The sarcasm reflects the contradiction that the population perceives between the prioritization of a hygiene product and the chronic scarcity of basic food items that the island suffers from.
In Havana, residents have not received toothpaste through the supply list since March 2024 until September of that year, accumulating a six-month delay.
In Ciego de Ávila, until April 2025, toothpaste was still awaiting distribution despite having received approval for sale.
The rice distributed in Camagüey in March 2026 also generated complaints due to its poor quality: bad smell and dirt, being sold for 155 Cuban pesos per kilo in the La Rubia neighborhood, prompting a Cuban to report that communism treats us like dogs.
The overall context is not more encouraging: the price of chicken rose from 4,500 to 4,850 Cuban pesos in March 2026, and eggs were being sold for 900 pesos per carton in the informal market.
In response to the arrival of 15,000 tons of rice donated by China, received last Monday, Cubans reacted on social media with phrases like crumbs after crumbs, and we live on charity at the whim of the leadership.
Starting in April 2026, the regime will implement the most significant change to the rationing system since its inception in the 1960s: it will eliminate direct subsidies for the regulated basket of goods for the general population and will focus assistance solely on vulnerable individuals with differentiated pricing, a shift that exacerbates the sense of abandonment felt by the Cuban population in the face of the crisis.
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