Victorians have been warned of the higher risk of eating raw or undercooked eggs after more than 200 people fell ill from salmonella.
Health authorities have linked two restaurants to raw-egg foods using products from western Victorian supplier Green Eggs.
The Department of Environment and Primary Industries has restricted the sale of eggs from the Green Eggs farm near Ararat until extra cleaning and hygiene measures are taken.
More than 200 people became ill with gastroenteritis after eating at the Bottle of Milk restaurant in Torquay, and a handful of others suffered the same fate after dining at St Kilda's Newmarket hotel.
There have been other isolated cases, and those affected have ranged in age from nine months to over 65 years.
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Chief health officer Rosemary Lester says Green Eggs, which supplies a range of Victorian eateries, markets and supermarkets, is still being investigated as the definite source and testing will take a few days.
Dr Lester warned that food and drinks containing raw and undercooked eggs, including mayonnaise, aioli, eggnog and tiramisu, had previously been linked to salmonella outbreaks in Victoria.
"These foods can be a risk, especially for the elderly and people with lowered immunity, children and pregnant women," she said.
Dr Lester said cooking eggs until they were hot all the way through made them safe from contaminants such as salmonella.
Anyone who has bought Green Eggs are advised to use them for cooked dishes only, and restaurants wanting to prepare raw-egg foods or dressings should get their eggs elsewhere while changes at the farm are being made.
Dr Lester said people needed to check that eggs were clean and without cracks before buying them.
Washing eggs at home is also not recommended because it makes it easier for bacteria to penetrate the shell.
Newmarket Hotel owner Tom Walker said he felt terrible for those affected by what has happened.
"We take health and hygiene extremely seriously and are relieved that local inspections have revealed all practices and processes to be compliant and more than satisfactory," he said in a statement.
