Consumption of lamb meat in the EU has remained constant for several years, although there has been a decrease in countries with high consumption and a increase in countries that consume low amounts of lamb meat. Lamb meat is a natural product, with a characteristic flavour, which because of its high price, is regarded as a luxury product. The parameters that define lamb meat quality, colour, juiciness, tenderness and flavour, are discussed. Colour is the main factor that consumers use to discriminate when buying lamb. These parameters are influenced by biological and technological factors, the most important of which are live weight and diet composition, which affect the amount and composition of fat in different adipose tissues.