All stakeholders in the organic livestock food chain have different priorities with respect to food quality. Stakeholders include producers, wholesalers, retailers, advisory bodies, certification groups, regulatory and inspection groups (such as environmental health officers & food microbiologists) and the consumer. Due to the wide range in requirements by these different groups, it is difficult to obtain a common consensus on the term ‘food quality’. For example, a wholesaler or retailer may require a good shelf-life for a product or an appealing looking product, whereas a consumer may want freshness and taste. Additionally, there are some aspects that could be termed objective, such as the absolute measurement of cell counts in milk or the presence or absence of Salmonella in chicken, and there are some areas of a more subjective nature, such as taste. However, there should be a drive to make all areas as objective as possible, and there are laboratory methods that can be used to investigate or assess factors, such as taste.