Boiled rice, steamed rice, fried rice - rice is a staple food for over half of the world’s population, but nowhere is it more central to diet and culture than in South East Asia.

In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, rice provides 80% of the calories and even the word "eat" actually means "eat rice."

But rice alone is not sufficient to meet the dietary needs of children.

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has started a project in Laos where overconsumption of rice led to malnutrition in children.

Beng Poblete-Enriquez reports.

Duration: 4’24”