Every food business (restaurants, bars, canteens, butcher's shops, bakeries, supermarkets) must meet the hygiene requirements in annex II of Regulation 852/2004 (article 4).
What the regulation says
- Premises are kept clean and in good repair (chapter I, point 1).
- Everything that touches food (equipment, utensils, surfaces) is effectively cleaned and, where necessary, disinfected, as often as needed to avoid contamination (chapter V, point 1).
- Equipment is installed so that it and the area around it can be cleaned properly.
Cleaning is not the same as disinfecting
Cleaning removes dirt and food residues; disinfecting reduces the microbes that remain. That is why the European Commission puts disinfection after cleaning and rinsing: on a dirty surface, disinfectant does not work well.
In practiceWiping a board with chicken residue using a cloth with disinfectant does not make
it safe: first remove the residue, wash with detergent and rinse; then disinfect.
Source: Reglamento (CE) 852/2004, relativo a la higiene de los productos alimenticios (Regulation on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Spanish text), article 4 and annex II, chapters I and V · Commission Notice 2022/C 355/01 on good hygiene practices and HACCP (Spanish text), annex I, point 3.2