Since its opening in 1968, the Meat Research Institute has been working on a programme of research to discover the factors believed to be important in determining the eating quality of meat. Several significant factors have emerged. First, the type of animal from which the meat comes, its age, breed, feed, sex and degree of fatness, all are less important than generally believed. Second, slaughtering techniques affect quality. Rapid chilling reduces bacterial activity and prevents evaporation and drip, but can also produce tough meat. Toughness caused by ‘cold shortening’ can be prevented by ensuring that the carcase does not fall below 10°C in the first ten hours after slaughter.