"Bodega bread in Cuba? 'It's practically the size of an egg!'"

A photograph published this Monday from Placetas, in the province of Villa Clara, shows a loaf of bread which, according to information received by the author of the post, was delivered at a supply store in the municipality, placed beside a white egg: both items are nearly the same size. The image, shared on Facebook by Rubén Carrillo, sparked outrage and questions about whether this situation is occurring in other supply stores in the municipality.

"A bread practically the size of an egg!" Carrillo wrote while sharing the image. The author himself acknowledged that he could not independently confirm where the bread was delivered or whether this case is isolated or extends to other stores in Placetas.

"It's not an isolated case, that's truly certain"; "it's like that or a bit smaller, and they give it every three or four days" and "that's when it arrives, because it's not always," commented Cubans.

In February of this year, Villa Clara restricted the regulated bread to those under 13 and over 65, leaving most of the adult population without access to the subsidized product. By the end of October, in Cárdenas, Matanzas, the bread intended for children and the elderly arrived after five months of no distribution with cracks, irregular shape, limited fluffiness, and a grayish interior.

The root of the problem is structural. Cuba needs approximately 20,000 tons of wheat flour per month to guarantee the rationed bread, but in early June, the minister acknowledged that, out of more than six wheat vessels contracted for 2026, only one had arrived from a previous year's contract. The Minister of Food Industry, Alberto López Díaz, also admitted that a shipment of 5,000 tons was withdrawn before the ship set sail.

The only operational flour mill —located in Cienfuegos— produced about 250 tons daily compared to the 700 required, while those in Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba remained inactive.

The official weight of the standardized bread had already decreased from 80 to 60 grams per piece in September 2024, and by 2026, pieces weighing as little as 40 grams have been reported in various provinces. A resident of Havana recounted that he used to receive 80-gram loaves for five cents, and later he was given 40-gram pieces for 75 cents.