Only one in four people is getting their recommended two helpings of fish per week - though consumption is rising, research from Seafish has revealed.

Twenty six per cent of people eat the amount recommended by the Food Standards Agency, according to a survey of 1,000 consumers carried out by the fish industry body.

However, consumption of oil-rich fish has risen 10% since 2004, while the number of people eating shellfish had risen 8% over the same period, it said, citing TNS data.

Consumption among children has also grown with those under six now eating 23% more fish than they were three years ago, and 11% more under-16s eating seafood regularly.

Though awareness of the two-a-week message has risen only marginally year-on-year to 42%, Seafish said the results were encouraging and reflected a growing overall awareness of the importance of fish to a healthy diet.

"We're pretty pleased with the awareness results," said marketing manager Karen Galloway. "Two-a-week was only launched two years ago. "We're not far behind the much more established fruit and veg campaign for five-a-day. Overall awareness of the health benefits of oily fish is a key factor behind consumption growth, and this has affected shellfish too."

"There's also been a swing from pester power to parent power when it comes to consumption by children," she added. "Parents are giving their kids more fish for the benefit of their health."

A key factor behind the growing popularity of fish with children was Seafish's three-year-old The Superhumans campaign, Galloway claimed. Centred around cartoon characters that find different ways of telling children about the health benefits of eating fish, the campaign appeared in-store for the first time this month at Asda.

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