Part 3 - How to prepare for your Environmental Health Inspection - Sanitisers....

Sanitise your surfaces properly

Updated 22 October 2026. Clean and disinfect food-contact surfaces using the method in your food-safety procedures, particularly where raw food could contaminate ready-to-eat food. The original video below is archive material; use this updated written guidance and current product instructions.

Use a two-stage process

1. Clean: remove food debris, grease and dirt with an appropriate detergent. Rinse as required so that residues do not interfere with the disinfectant.

2. Disinfect: apply a product suitable for the surface and intended use, at the specified concentration. Keep the surface in contact with it for the full label contact time, then rinse if instructed. A combined cleaner-disinfectant can be used in two separate stages: first for cleaning, then reapplied to the clean surface for disinfection.

Food Standards Scotland's CookSafe guidance identifies BS EN 1276 or BS EN 13697 products for appropriate food-area disinfection. Check the current label and supporting evidence for the exact product and use. Browse our BS EN 1276 disinfectants and food-area disinfectants.

Choose a workable contact time

There is no universal 30-second contact time for these standards. Some products require longer, and the required time can differ with dilution and target organism. Choose a suitable product whose complete instructions your team can follow; never shorten its contact time to speed up service.

Understand what the evidence means

For general-purpose disinfection, BS EN 1276 requires at least a 5-log reduction in the specified test bacteria under defined laboratory conditions: 99.999%. A percentage on its own does not tell you the test method, organisms or conditions. It also does not prove that a product is untested; request the relevant evidence from the supplier.

BS EN 1276 does not establish virucidal activity. Where your procedures call for virus disinfection, check the exact claim and conditions supported by BS EN 14476 or other appropriate evidence. An enveloped-virus claim is not a claim against every virus. Do not assume that one product's contact time applies to another.

Be ready to explain your routine

Keep product instructions accessible, train staff, and document what is cleaned, how often, by whom and with which dilution and contact time. Include safe storage, required protective equipment and rinsing. Your Environmental Health Officer can advise on the suitability of your food-safety procedures for your premises.

Contact Astral Hygiene for current product information and help selecting supplies.

References: Food Standards Scotland: CookSafe cleaning guidance; BSI: BS EN 1276; Melbec Microbiology: BS EN 14476.