Boffins create 'super lettuce' which extends lifespan of fruit and veg by three months

APRIL FOOL'S! Did we get you? The study's lead author said he hoped the new lettuces would be in supermarkets around Europe within the next four years, but feared there would be "no guarantees the project would still be running by then"

A new 'super lettuce' with a sell by date of up to three months has been developed by scientists. Boffins think they have cracked a new microbial genome that can attach to the DNA of plants to slow down the speed their cells divide and multiply.

This pulled back process is thought by the team, from near Cluj-Napoca, Romania, to effectively extend the lifespan of fruit and vegetables by up to a factor of three.

Initial testing was carried out on iceberg lettuces because of their high-water concentration and lack of substance. In a stunning moment of appreciation for Daily Star the team have given the new genetically modified creation a working name of the “Truss”.

This is in homage to where a test subject lasted two months with no noticeable signs of decay – as it went up against a Prime Minister and won in a stunning display of durability

Now the team, led by Dr Igor Leafvinyenko, hope they can roll out the Truss on a commercial scale, providing long-life lettuce to leaf-lovers worldwide.

In the study, published in Elizabethan Science Review , Dr Leafvinyenko said, “The research proves the potential for water-loaded balls of leaves to live well beyond their lifetime. We were left stunned by how far past its sell by date the lettuce was able to make it.

“We look forward to rolling out the Truss Lettuce in as many towns and cities as possible. Our commercial wing has already begin liaising with a number of high profile British supermarkets, and we hope to see them on shelves by early 2026.

“After that, we’d like to see Trusses on shelves in as many stores in Europe as possible. Initial market research has shown that French, German and Belgian people are all desperate to sink their teeth into a bit of Truss.”

Asked by the Daily Star how soon we could expect to see Trusses rolled out abroad, Dr Leafvinyenko said he hoped it would be within the next four years, but given the notoriously unpredictable nature of the Truss, there would be "no guarantees the project would still be running by then."

The decision on the name comes more than two years after UK Prime Minister Liz Truss was sensationally ousted from Number 10 Downing Street by the Daily Star's very own veg.

Truss, who has lost the race to see if she could outlast our 60p vegetable and finally gave up on her attempt to cling to power after days of chaos at Westminster in October 2022.

A few months later a blue plaque to commemorate the Tesco store where the lettuce that helped bring down Truss was bought has been taken down.

The unofficial plaque commemorating our infamous Lizzy Lettuce was placed on the wall above the Tesco store in Walthamstow, east London this week before being removed.