Last month, food poisoning sickened 1,710 people and killed 25 in China, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry received 67 reports of food poisoning from July 1 to 31, 23 less than the same period last year.

The number of sickened was 707 less and death toll was 68 less respectively than the same period of 2005, the ministry said in the latest report.

The ministry has urged local education officials to improve food safety in school canteens, as a sharp rise of food poisoning occurred there in the second quarter.

During the second quarter, more than 1,950 people were poisoned in schools, seven times more than in the first quarter of the year. Two people died.

Among the incidents, 46 occurred in school canteens causing 1,400 people to fall ill, said the ministry on July 31.

The ministry called on local health authorities to enhance supervision over and guidance in school hygiene work and to help clean up school canteens, meanwhile it called for extra efforts to ensure food and water safety in flood-affected regions.

A total of 185 food poisoning cases were recorded by the ministry in the second quarter, which affected 5,696 people, killing 64. The figures are slightly lower than the same period last year but significantly higher than the previous quarter.