Debt explodes: supermarkets are now offering installment plans for rice and beans on credit cards, families are burying their salaries in gambling and payroll loans, and now they’re buying food like it’s a refrigerator just to be able to put rice on the table in Rio Grande do Sul

Since the beginning of 2025, supermarkets in Rio Grande do Sul have been allowing customers to… They accept payment in installments by credit card, even for the purchase of rice, beans, and other basic items., an extreme portrait of the debt that has dragged on throughout the year.

In an interview given at the end of 2025, the president of the Rio Grande do Sul Supermarket Association, Lindo Honor Peruso Júnior, stated that the practice, previously restricted to refrigerators, stoves, and bazaar items, is now used as an attempt to prevent food shortages for families overwhelmed by debt and FGTS (Brazilian employee severance fund) loans.

When rice and beans are included in the installment plan.