PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry will monitor school canteens to ensure that tainted food from China do not get into the system, minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said.

"We will not take this for granted as it concerns the health and safety of our children," he told reporters after launching a Malaysian catalogue Malaysian Story: Told Through Our Books for the Frankfurt Book Fair next month.

Deputy minister Dr Wee Ka Siong has been tasked with monitoring the situation in school canteens.

Dr Wee, who chairs the ministry's safety, health and cleanliness committee, said he had asked the committee secretariat to inform all school canteen operators through the district and state education offices on the list of products which have been banned by the Health Ministry.

"As far as I know, the canteens don't sell these products but we will conduct random checks to ensure operators adhere to the instructions from the Health Ministry," he said when contacted.

Dr Wee also reiterated that the ministry had not resumed its school milk programme.

"I hope parents won't be worried about their children drinking milk (in school) as the school milk programme has been suspended for this entire year," he said.