A Cuban resident in the United States sadly showed, in a 22-second video posted on TikTok, the vast amounts of food that an American supermarket discards, and he dedicated the clip to those living on the island to expose them to that reality.
The author, Yasmani Vera, known on the platform as @yasmanielloco, captured the moment while walking through the establishment's discard area, showcasing the piled-up products. "Look at all this that's being thrown away... This is the United States, brother. Look at all this being wasted, it's not a lie," he stated in the clip.
The tone of the video reflects sadness at the contrast between the amount of food wasted and the scarcity experienced by numerous families in Cuba.
The video quickly circulated among the Cuban community on social media, accumulating over 252,000 views, nearly 5,000 reactions, and more than 800 comments.
The clip adds to other videos published on TikTok where Cuban emigrants highlight the contrast between the products that are discarded in the United States and the food crisis on the island. Just days earlier, a Cuban woman working as a cleaner in the U.S. showed yogurts, medications, and other sealed products that she had to throw away, linking the situation to the shortages faced by her family in Cuba.
"It gives me pain because in my house in Cuba there is no oil; they have had to use lard," said the young woman, identified on TikTok as @familia.reyes792.
The contrast shown in both videos occurs amidst the profound food crisis that Cuba is experiencing.
The island heavily relies on imports to meet its food needs, while domestic production of essential products has experienced significant declines in recent years.
The situation has also been reflected in independent studies and surveys that document the difficulties many families face in meeting their food needs and the high percentage of their income that must be allocated to purchasing food.
In the United States, on the other hand, food waste in retail is a widely documented phenomenon. Millions of tons of food products end up being discarded each year by supermarkets and other establishments.
This contrast — discarded food in the United States while numerous Cubans are forced to skip meals due to the crisis— is at the heart of Yasmani Vera's message, who concluded his video with a phrase aimed at those watching from the island: "So you can see what it is."
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