Egypt implements a cheap subsidized bread policy, with the staple "baladi bread" serving as the survival ration for the lower class. This livelihood security system was established in the 1950s and finalized in 1984, covering about 70% of the country's population. Citizens purchase it using government ration cards; in early years, each loaf cost only 0.05 Egyptian pounds, and in 2024, after 36 years, it saw a slight increase to 0.2 Egyptian pounds, equivalent to a few Chinese cents, far below market prices, with the government covering over 80% of production costs. Each person is limited to 5 loaves per day, with a monthly cap of 150 loaves, supplied by over 30,000 designated bakeries nationwide.

In the past, the government attempted to cancel the subsidy, triggering a nationwide "bread riot." Since then, successive governments have dared not easily adjust it, relying on huge fiscal subsidies to stabilize the basic needs of the poor. However, the policy has prominent drawbacks: annual high grain subsidies increase fiscal pressure, wheat is heavily reliant on imports, and there are issues of waste and corruption such as the rich hoarding bread and reselling subsidized flour. Today, Egypt is gradually tightening eligibility criteria to precisely target low-income groups.

China has actually done very well in this regard as well. The price of rice has remained around 2 yuan per jin (0.5 kg) for over a decade; the price of pork has also been relatively stable over the past decade, fluctuating between 10 and 20 yuan.