Australia still has an egg problem.

Raw eggs have been identified as the source of a Salmonella outbreak at a Victor Harbor bakery that led to four people being hospitalised last week.

The Pork Pie Shop in the beachside city south of Adelaide was forced to stop selling its pork and Ascot pies more than a week ago.

South Australia Health said a total 12 cases of food poisoning had been linked to the pies.

Food and Controlled Drugs director Doctor Fay Jenkins said salmonella was found in a raw egg wash that was applied to the pies only after they had been baked.

“We collected samples and we took swabs at the business and some of those samples came back positive with salmonella,” she said.

“We have to do a bit of forensic work. We have to be like detectives and do a bit more testing to get down to the exact strain that caused the outbreak.”

Dr Jenkins said SA Health was continuing to monitor the business.

“They are allowed to produce these pies but they are not allowed to sell them,” she said.

“They’re making the pies and we’re watching them carefully and making sure they are handled properly and the raw egg wash is not going to be used in the future.”

Dr Jenkins said that eggs are a raw product that should be handled like raw meat or poultry.

The outbreak of Salmonella infection from The Pork Pie Shop was linked to 12 cases in people aged 19 to 82, four of whom were hospitalized as a result.

SA Health said there had been four salmonella outbreaks caused by eggs so far this year and 246 people had been affected.

A selection of egg-related outbreaks in Australia can be found here.