To assess any system that provides goods or services, the National Consumer Council has developed a number of consumer criteria to judge how well they perform from the consumers' point of view. They include price, safety, access, choice, information, redress, efficiency, equity, public accountability and consumer representation. When it comes to food, consumers are naturally interested in the price, quality, safety and choice of food products available to them. This presupposes that all have access to a secure supply of staple foods: a fundamental right of all consumers.

Quality covers many aspects such as the variety, content, composition, nutritional value, taste, freshness and appearance of foods and recently, animal welfare has become associated with quality in the perception of consumers. Safety issues in the 1990s include additives, veterinary drug residues, pesticide residues, microbiological contamination and biotechnology.