(SINGAPORE) - Singapore has halted sales of all buffalo mozzarella cheese imported from Italy as it investigates possible contamination, the government said Friday.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said the move was a precautionary measure until laboratory tests can "determine if they have been contaminated with dioxin."

Italian authorities said last week that high levels of dioxin, which increases the risk of cancer, were found in 66 buffalo herds around the city of Naples.

A statement by its Health Ministry said that the levels of dioxin detected in the milk from some farms used for production of the cheese are "moderately higher than the limit allowed" under EU rules.

About 106 kilos (233.2 pounds) of buffalo mozzarella cheese were imported into Singapore on January 6.

"As information on the brand, batch and producer of the implicated Italian buffalo mozzarella cheese is still not available, it cannot be ascertained whether the cheese imported were the affected cheese," AVA said in a statement.

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