The call came during a joint meeting of the Standing and Select Committees on Appropriations which is holding public hearings on the medium-term budget policy statement and the Special Appropriation Bill on Friday.

In its medium-term budget policy statement, the National Treasury proposed that white bread flour, cake flour and sanitary pads should be included in the basket of zero-rated VAT items from 1 April 2019.

But non-profit organisation FairPlay says this is not enough if the government is serious about addressing the plight of poor communities, according to iAfrica.

The organisation’s Lionel Adendorf says the zero-rated list does not adequately address the nutritional concerns such as stunting, malnutrition and the dietary and consumption needs of the poor.

"Chicken remains a popular source of meat protein for poorer households and its exclusion from zero rating would continue to be to the detriment of the poor."

The committees will now consider the submissions made by organisations before it reports back to Parliament.