Aidelis Arencibia, mother of three children with autism, publicly reported on Facebook that the medical diet card assigned to her children by the Cuban state includes a list of foods that, in practice, rarely makes it to their table.
The official document —issued by the Ministry of the Interior— promises monthly deliveries of chicken, eggs, root vegetables, fish, cornstarch, vegetables, flour, gluten-free pasta, fruits, and rice.
According to Arencibia's testimony, the only thing he receives sporadically is rice, sometimes in poor condition, and a pasta of such low quality that, as he describes, "it seems that it cannot see water because it turns into inedible rags."
"There is a hypocrisy that is printed on cardstock and is called a ballot", the mother wrote. "The module exists in ink; the table, in white. Sometimes I wonder if so much cardstock wouldn't be better used as notebooks, to alleviate the basic resource deficit of the Ministry of Education; or as fans, which would help more during blackouts."
"Because giving a mother a list of foods for an ill child, with those foods merely being written down, is humiliating; it is a lack of respect and cardboard empathy."
Arencibia, who claims to depend on donations and the solidarity of people on social media to feed her children, stated: "While the card promises, our children wait."
The post generated a broad response from other Cuban families who claim to be experiencing similar situations.
A mother from Morón, Ciego de Ávila, commented that she has been receiving only rice and noodles for "many months," and not always of good quality. From Baracoa, Guantánamo, another mother pointed out that in her area "they don't even give rice," only some rice noodles that "even the animals won't eat."
Another commentator recounted having received chicken only once, and that side dishes and fruits have "never" arrived. "I think we all go through the same thing, but no one cares," summarized a fourth participant.
Since 2021, there have been similar complaints from families with autistic children in Cuba: a father from Holguín reported that the saltwater fish assigned to his son was replaced by catfish, which the child refused. In April 2023, another father from the same province reported that his son's diet of root vegetables, fruits, and vegetables was removed, citing budget constraints.
The medical diet system in Cuba operates as a supplement to the supply booklet and is regulated by Resolution 136/2020 of the Ministry of Domestic Trade. The control card certifies the allocation but does not guarantee the actual delivery of the products.
The general context worsens the situation for these families. The Minister of Food Industry, Alberto López Díaz, acknowledged in June 2026 that more than 100,000 children have stopped receiving their regular milk ration. The World Food Programme documented that 48.5% of Cuban schoolchildren aged six to eleven do not receive meals or snacks at their educational institutions. The Food Monitor Program reported in April 2026 that 96.91% of the population lacks adequate access to food.
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