The Lister Institute has published the results of experiments with rats, carried out on its behalf by Dr Harriet Chick, who came to the conclusion that ordinary white flour is inferior to wholemeal flour even when the deficiency of protein, minerals and vitamin B1 has been made good through fortification.

Rats fed on whole wheat flour gained twice as much weight as those fed on fortified white flour. Dr Chick concludes that the inferiority of the white flour diet must be attributed to a lack of B2 vitamins.

The comparatively small number of people - scientists, doctors and laymen - who are so anxious that the public should be compelled to eat wholemeal bread must not lose sight of the fact that human beings are not rats.