Mothers and babies lack proper diet

North Korea's food production has increased for the third year running but mothers and children still lack sufficient vitamins, fat and protein in their diets, the World Food Programme says.

The agency's representative in North Korea, Dierk Stegen, said today that many children remain stunted because of the deficiencies.

Mr Stegen says the government has focused on producing cereals, but that it needs a more diverse food supply. He says about 80% of North Korean households are "food insecure," meaning they lack vitamins, fats and proteins.

He says staple food production in 2013 increased about 5% year on year, with about 5 million metric tons of milled cereals produced.

There is a food deficit of 340,000 metric tons, most of which is expected to be filled by imports.

AP