CUBA: COST OF LIVING:  Food
This is a very controversial point about which many lies have been said, but fundamentally, there have been hidden many truths.
What the Revolution has attempted, consistent with its principles, is to assure that the whole population has adequate food, in calories and proteins, which will be within reach of any citizen, independent of their wages or the sways of the supply and demand in the market. To achieve this, the government decided to establish the so-called notebook of supply ("la libreta") through which each person is assigned a quota of the main foods at low prices subsidized by the State.
Here we can ask each other several questions: Is this the only way that these foods can be acquired? No. These foods can also be acquired in the quantities desired, in pesos or in USD, but at market prices, in other types of stores.
Is what is provided by the libreta enough food without having to buy in the market? No. It depends for example on the person's characteristics (if they eat a lot or a little) or those of the family (if there are children that eat less or workers that eat at their work); in my opinion what is received should last between 10 and 20 days of the month (although there are people that say that it lasts them the whole month). To cover the rest it is necessary to acquire foods in the free market in pesos or in USD (for, if you don't know, any person can buy legally convertible pesos equivalent to the dollar, to shop in the stores that take USD, at an exchange rate that has stayed for some years in around 21 pesos x $1 USD).
Children 0-7 years are assured a liter of milk per day at subsidized prices.
To give you an idea, I will give you some examples of the products that are received subsidized by the libreta, the quantities that are received, their prices in pesos and their cost in the free market in pesos or in USD.

Product          Quantity x person    Price in pesos    Price free market    
                                                                                        Pesos          USD    
Rice                  6 pound/month          0.25/pound        3.50/pound    0.67/pound    
Bean               20 ounce/month          0.32/pound        7.00/pound    1.34/pound    
White sugar      3 pound/month          0.15/pound        0.74/pound    
Raw sugar        3 pound/month          0.10/pound            
Milk                   1 lt. daily children
                           of 0 to 7 years          0.25/lt              10.00/lt            1.60/lt    
Eggs                 6 every 15 days         0.15/u                0.10/u    

  
The meat products are not received in a regular way and much depends on what can be made available at the subsidized prices. Right now we are receiving beef or chicken, sausages, ham and picadillo (a Cuban ground beef with garlic, raisins & spices). Each one of them is received, at the present time, every fifteen days, that is to say, for example, today meat or chicken, in fifteen days sausage, in fifteen days ham, in fifteen days picadillo and later the cycle begins again. Additionally each person receives a quota of fish every fifteen days that at the moment is received preserved, in cans.
Besides these products we receive approximately 15 pounds per person per month of potatoes and bananas at 0.40/lb.
This grocer has the foods available in the libreta listed on the chalkboard behind him.
 Product          Quantity x person    Price in pesos    Price free market    
                                                                                        Pesos          USD    
Beef                  0.5 pounds                0.70/pounds                            1.80/pound    
Chicken            1 pound                     0.70/pounds                            1.27/pound    
Sausages         225 gr.                       1.70/225 gr.                             1.20/225 gr.    
Ham                  0.5 pounds                3.00/pounds            
Picadillo            0.75 pounds              0.60/pounds                             1.13/pounds    
Fish                  1 can/425 gr./month   2.00/can            
In addition to the foods that are received through the libreta at subsidized prices, I should also add that all the workers have workplace dining rooms, and there they acquire their meals at prices that oscillate around 1 peso. Also all boarding students who do not live at home receive all their meals free and the non-boarding students in most cases receive a free lunch.
Something that I wanted to add here is what happens in those cases when food donations are given, for different reasons, from other countries or international organizations. In these cases the received products are given to the population, with the only money charged being the cost of the freight or other costs incurred, but without charging anything additional for the product itself. This has happened, for example, in the case of rice donated by Viet Nam or kitchen oil donated by France.
As we can see the topic of food is complex and it can become, in some families, the main expense.
Text copyright 2000 J. Gutierrez
Photos copyright 2000 C. O'Hara