North Korean authorities say they have distributed to intended recipients the food aid left by U.S. nongovernmental organizations in the communist state following Pyongyang’s expulsion of the civic groups at the end of March.

Washington-based Radio Free Asia cited a State Department official as saying the organizations left 22-thousand tons of food in the North after their distribution operations were halted.

The report added, however, that there is no way to be sure the food reached its intended recipients as there were no monitors present at the time of distribution.