A Cuban shared a video on social media this Tuesday, showing with indignation the bread he received at the state grocery store, which he compares to a "disc" and claims "it looks like it's from Mars," in yet another complaint about the decline of rationed bread in Cuba.
"What is this? If there is a baker in the world who can explain to me what kind of bread this is... This bread looks like it's from Mars because I've never seen bread like this," stated on his Facebook page user Dimitri Peñate, a resident of Havana, who showed the bread in front of the camera and questioned its appearance.
The complainant explained that they studied candy-making, baking, and cooking, which is why they maintain that the product delivered by the warehouse does not resemble any bread they have encountered.
"The lack of respect, I don’t know how they have the moral and the shame to sell this... the abuse is coast to coast, from the government to the people themselves, this is over," he expressed while recording the video in the middle of a blackout. Before finishing, he warned that "they are cutting off our electricity again."
The post adds to a series of complaints shared on social media in recent weeks. At the beginning of August, content creator Yordania Orduñez showed the bread she received at her store, after five days without supply due to power outages.
Upon breaking it open, he reported that the substance had an appearance incompatible with food suitable for consumption and expressed regret over the lack of respect towards the population.
A day later, residents of the Cuabitas neighborhood in Santiago de Cuba, reported the distribution of deformed breads with dark stains through the ration book.
Among the testimonies, one stood out from a 68-year-old woman, who stated that she had never seen a loaf of bread that looked like this and expressed that it is now embarrassing to collect the quota.
Complaints have also been frequent in Guantánamo. Residents reported in July that the bread from the basic basket had high acidity, lacked fat and salt, and developed black spots just a few hours after being made. One of them summarized the discontent with a phrase that went viral, stating, "not even dogs eat it."
The deterioration of bread is a result of a structural crisis that the regime has partially acknowledged. Cuba needs about 20,000 tons of flour monthly to ensure the regulated bread supply, but in June, only one of the six contracted wheat vessels had arrived for the entire year.
The only operating mill, located in Cienfuegos, produces about 250 tons daily, compared to the 700 tons needed, while the plant in Guantánamo remains out of service.
The shortage of flour has forced a substitution of part of the wheat with cassava pulp, sweet potato, or corn, a mix that impacts the texture, flavor, and shelf life of the product.
This is compounded by power outages and a lack of fuel. In Holguín, several bakeries have resumed the use of wood-fired ovens to sustain a production that barely reached 50% of the population.
The quality of bread has declined as the available quantity decreases. The weight of subsidized bread dropped from 80 to 60 grams in September 2024, and in some regions, it fell to as low as 40 grams.
In Villa Clara, rationed bread is limited to those under 13 and over 65 years old.
Additionally, since early July, the Cuban Bread Company raised the price of bread in Havana, including the 400-gram loaf, which increased from 240 to 500 Cuban pesos, a rise of 108%, prompting criticism over the covert manner in which this decision was implemented.
The deterioration of this staple food coincides with the worsening of food insecurity on the island, while authorities continue to promote family gardens without addressing the structural causes that sustain the collapse of the supply system.
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