"The import of rockmelons from Australia will be banned until the situation becomes better," Mr Ahmad told reporters after an event in Cyberjaya, advising Malaysians to be extra careful.
Mr Ahmad also pointed out that Malaysia has a lot of locally-produced rockmelons which are safe for consumption.
Earlier this week, the Health Ministry said that rockmelons imported from Australia after Mar 1 were safe for consumption and not contaminated with listeria, according to NST.
The ministry added that its food safety and quality division was working with the Australian High Commissioner Office.
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On Thursday, Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) recalled all rockmelons from Australia as a "precautionary measure".
This was after the authority received new information from Australian authorities which indicated that more listeria-affected consignments had been exported to Singapore.
AVA earlier issued a recall of rockmelons from two affected consignments, which were sold in Singapore between Feb 12 and Mar 2.
Australian authorities had said that the listeria outbreak originated from a specific grower in New South Wales.
