A poll of 2,000 adults found 59% would prefer to buy produce that is grown, made or harvested in Britain. Eggs, milk, potatoes and fish among are the items they are most inclined to seek out. The research was commissioned by Discover Seafood, an initiative run by The Fishmongers’ Company, which is urging UK supermarkets to stock more British species to meet consumer demand for local produce and support fishermen from these shores.

Gavin O’Donnell, spokesman for Discover Seafood, said: “There is lots of great local produce available to consumers, but knowing where to find it can be a struggle. It’s clear demand is there for food grown, caught and harvested in the UK so where is the support from retailers? There needs to be a better balance between being competitive on price and opening up opportunities for both the consumer and the producer.

“In terms of seafood, many lesser known British species are highly nutritious and affordable - so why is there not more of it on the shelf? Many local species are caught and never make it to supermarket shelves. The sad reality is that most of the fish that’s found in UK supermarkets is imported. Retailers are reluctant to price match popular species like Cod and Haddock in support of British fishermen against fish from abroad."

The Express this week launched It's Time to Buy British campaign to urge shoppers to buy British produce and goods made by UK companies. The public feel that both the government and supermarkets need to do more to support British fishermen and food producers.

When it comes to seafood, 68% said they would buy more produce that was clearly labelled as British in a supermarket, according to the OnePoll data. But there is a low awareness of what local fish is on offer in UK waters, with consumers seemingly unfamiliar with species such as hake, megrim sole and gurnard.

Although 30% of those who buy or eat seafood said access to a wider variety of local species would make them eat more British.    

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association, said: “Indie retailers are well known for supporting local British businesses. We always want people to always support British businesses and British products because deep down we know it is good for our local economy.”