A major benefit that came from lockdown was that many foodservice operators reviewed and improved their hygiene practices. And that's just as well, because customers do recognise whether an establishment is hygiene-conscious.

They really do notice, says Kate Thompson of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. "The pandemic opened eyes and changed attitudes. More than half of consumers classify themselves as being more conscious of hygiene at food outlets."

Dominic Ponniah, head of cleaning contractor Cleanology, agrees: "Customers are more vigilant. The minimum standard today is to clean surfaces and touchpoints between customers, and this should be built into staff routines… because if an operator does not clean between customers, that now raises a massive red flag. Washrooms remain the focal hygiene point for most customers, and this is still an area where performance remains patchy."

An everyday problem remains the tricky question of whether a quick squirt and wipe of a table top is really sufficient or if an operator can realistically sanitise between customers.

There is no standard answer, says Natalie Stanton, who founded the Safety Expert online training resource for food businesses. Your regime must come from your own risk-based assessment of your frequently-touched surfaces… and while looking at the surfaces, she notes, do not forget your staff hand hygiene.

At Biovate, managing director Nick Winstone says a squirt and wipe can be effective, with the right tools. "A sanitiser that has been tested as effective against pathogens will get the job done quickly and efficiently, with minimal contact time. Pre-pandemic, most sanitisers required a contact time of five minutes to meet the EN1476 standard, and today manufacturers have reduced this to 30 seconds.

"A good microfibre cloth will remove a lot more dirt and soil load than a generic ‘blue roll' and reduce carbon footprint – cloths are reusable, whereas blue roll generates landfill waste."

Not all wipes do, says Paul Maxwell, marketing manager at Cheeky Panda: "For high-footfall sites, disposable wipes offer significant benefits over reusable cloths. The disposable nature of the product ensures no cross-contamination.

"However, not all disposable wipes are equal; many still contain plastic. Our anti-bacterial wipes clean any surface quickly and easily, can be disposed of and will biodegrade over time, unlike most wipes. Our wipes are made using bamboo, purified water and no harsh chemicals – just pure, plant-based cleaning agents."