Although proper sensory feedback for a new food or beverage may require a “cast of thousands” in regards to consumers who are providing input, a full-time sensory research staff and/or sophisticated statistical software, day-to-day product development and quality control tasks often require a “quick and dirty” approach to evaluating a product's sensory properties. However, efforts to perform as unbiased appraisals of alternate ingredients or of bench-top to scale-up formulation efforts as possible helps to assure that truth--and your company--will be served. A bit of thought, as well as statistics, can help to foster objectivity in sensory evaluations.
However, early on in the product development process, technical staffs routinely need information on a product's attributes. Taste panelists can be from inside or outside the company, and the studies can be administered by company employees or outside services.