Jacqueline Margulis, now 88, opened her soufflé-centric cafe in San Francisco 45 years ago. When will she put down her whisk?

A particularly contagious strain of bird flu continues to spread, killing flocks and causing the price of eggs to nearly double from a year ago.

The avian flu keeps coming back, leading to millions of lost hens.

Retail egg prices rose between 7.2% and 9.2% from the 2022 outbreak, according to a University of Arkansas paper.

Since early 2022, more than 80 million birds, most of them egg layers, have been stricken by the disease.

With eggs a more costly commodity, yolks of a richer color have come to signify luxury, writer Marian Bull observes.

A research team from multiple universities is developing technology that can detect salmonella contamination in a matter of minutes. They aim to take the results from sensors and pair them with other data to strengthen the safety and resilience of the supply of chicken.

Fewer bird flu cases and a natural increase in egg supply in the spring is leading to lower prices.

Bird flu has decimated flocks. Meanwhile, demand for eggs has increased.

The American Egg Board estimates about 6% of the laying hen population has been affected.