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Research from the report, which features contributions from The food and Drink Federation, revealed that 63% of people blamed producers for cases of food fraud.

Only 12% of those asked said they had confidence in the European food chain, a figure which dropped to 7% when asked about the global food chain.

Darren Seward, food and drink manufacturing specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “There has never been a more important time for tackling food fraud and getting regulation right as we plan to leave the European Union.

“But Government proposals for where we will get our food from are already under tough scrutiny from industry and consumers alike with concerns over skilled labour and quality.

“Producers are under immense pressure to offset price rises caused by the weakened value of sterling and higher import costs, squeezing already tight budgets and resources and potentially cornering them into using cheaper global suppliers that may be more vulnerable to fraud.”

Almost three quarters (72%) believe there to be an issue with food fraud in the UK, with over a quarter also believing that they have personally experienced it (27%).

One third of consumers (33%) said they were less trusting of products and retailers than they were five years ago, compared with only 9% whose trust has increased, and a further 33% who believe that food crime is likely to increase in the future.

The report estimated that the UK food and drink industry is potentially losing up to £12 billion a year to fraud.

Included in the report is advice for food producers to combat fraud and perception, such as a consideration to support British produce to help manage and shrink supply chains and ‘win the hearts of customers’.

The full report can be downloaded here- http://www.nfumutual.co.uk/foodfraud