Auramine O, a yellow dye used as an industrial colouring agent for colouring silk, cotton, paper and leather, is not permitted to be used in food. Consumers who have bought the implicated products should discard the products and not consume them, the AVA said in a statement on Monday.

All consignments of tea leaves from Myanmar will be held for tests, and will only be released for sale if test results show that they are free from Auramine O.

According to the AVA, Singapore imports tea leaves mainly from Malaysia, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Tea leaves from Myanmar account for only 0.37 per cent of Singapore's total supply.