Niuris, a Cuban who has been living in Mexico for a year, posted a video on social media showcasing her biweekly grocery shopping at the supermarket Soriana, having spent just 1,000 pesos to get by for 15 days. She took the opportunity to compare her current life with the one she left behind on the island.
"Sometimes I find myself thinking that not long ago in Cuba, there was no milk to drink, and now I'm here choosing the healthiest brand among so many. It's quite a strong feeling," said Niuris, who currently resides in San Luis Potosí and is known on TikTok as @niuris78.
The contrast described is significant: Cuba is experiencing one of the worst food crises in its recent history, with domestic milk production plummeting 65% in the last five years, even below the levels seen during the Special Period of the 1990s.
In 2025, the Cuban government only received 30% of the planned powdered milk for import, and in provinces such as Santiago de Cuba, children aged two to six stopped receiving milk through the rationing booklet.
In light of that reality, Niuris describes with amazement the ability to freely choose in a Mexican supermarket: "It’s nice to be able to shop and, without worries, select the products you truly want to take and the ones you need."
Her budget is tight: she earns 2,000 pesos a week, an amount she herself acknowledges "doesn't go very far," but it allows her to cover the essentials.
"You have to know how to choose wisely," she admitted, and that day she took advantage of the sale on Downy, bleach, detergent, and soap at Soriana. The total purchase amounted to 917 pesos, including food and cleaning products.
Niuris also responded in the video to those who criticize her for sharing her everyday life: "Sharing my life here doesn't give anyone the right to come and criticize me. My content is healthy, it's real, and it comes from my experience. So if you have an opinion, let it be to contribute and not to spread negativity."
Niuris's testimony adds to a growing trend on TikTok: Cubans in Mexico documenting the contrast between the scarcity of the island and everyday life in Mexico, fostering empathy and highlighting the crisis.
In February, another Cuban identified as @liamblak went viral after reacting in amazement to the abundance of a supermarket in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, with a question that captured the feelings of many migrants: "Is this normal for you?".
Cuban immigration to Mexico shows no signs of slowing down: between January and June 2025, 55,826 Cubans entered the country, and from January to September of that same year, 28,700 asylum applications were registered, making Cuba one of the leading sources of migrants to Mexico.
97% of Cubans lost access to basic foods on the island, and one in four goes to bed without dinner, according to data that explains the emotional impact that Niuris describes when she is simply able to choose a brand of milk.
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