World's first artificial beef burger consumed

The world's first artificial beef burger was cooked and eaten yesterday.

The fast food product, which is worth £250,000, was created by Professor Mark Post of Maastricht University out of 3,000 strips of artificial beef made from a cow's cells, which were grown in a laboratory in a bid to potentially alleviate the ever-growing demand for tasty meat.

Hanni Ruetzler, one of the critics who tasted the burger, said: "It's close to meat, but it's not that juicy. The consistency is perfect, but I miss salt and pepper.

"This is meat to me. It's not falling apart."

The beef burger is naturally white but was coloured with beetroot juice to give it a realistic edge.