Clean benefits!

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/6-7.

Szabolcs Fábián, Tork’s HoReCa ambassador in Hungary:

Szabolcs Fábián
Tork’s HoReCa
ambassador in Hungary

“In the field of hygiene products for HoReCa there has been a significant shift towards environmentally friendly products over the past three years, with both businesses and consumers putting sustainability first”.

Tork has recently introduced a number of innovations, such as a range of natural-coloured products made from 100% recycled fibres, carbon-neutral dispensers using renewable electricity, and the Optiserve® toilet paper. The company doesn’t just sell products, it delivers solutions – this is why they have recently launched an expert service, Tork Workflow™ for Restaurants.

Durable and environmentally friendly

Piroska Solymosi
key account manager
Assist-Trend

Piroska Solymosi, key account manager of Assist-Trend Kft.:

“In high-traffic places durability, quick refilling and the minimisation of unauthorised access to the contents (paper, liquid soap) are important. Another trend is using environmentally friendly solutions”.

Assist-Trend offers professional hygiene and tableware solutions to catering partners. Their product range includes table, kitchen and restroom hygiene stationery, as well as a large selection of traditional and environmentally friendly cleaning and disinfecting products, cleaning utensils and dispensers. Last year’s hit product was the Sutter Zero line of environmentally friendly grill cleaners.

Márk Varga 
managing director
Hagleitner Hygiene
Magyarország

Márk Varga, managing director of Hagleitner Hygiene Magyarország Kft.:

“We are committed to green technologies, so our product portfolio includes eco cleaning products, water-saving dispensers and paper products from sustainable sources”.

Hagleitner offers a full range of hygiene solutions for the catering industry. In addition to touchless XIBU dispensers, disinfectant soaps and sustainable paper products, industrial kitchen systems are a key focus.

The HoReCa-sector proves to be environmentally conscious shoppers when it comes to paper products, choosing cleaning products primarily on the basis of price

Preference and tolerance level

Ákos Bősze
HoReCa
business development
executive
METRO

Ákos Bősze, HoReCa business development executive of METRO:

“Our experience is that sales of kitchen and restroom hygiene equipment and cleaning products for the catering sector keep growing, primarily because domestic businesses are increasingly adapting to HACCP regulations”.

Bar and restaurant owners are buying recycled paper whenever possible and are willing to pay 10-15% more for it. However, when it comes to purchasing cleaning products, price is the No.1 factor.

Szabolcs Fábián adds that restaurant owners are navigating in a dynamic environment. Sustainability is definitely on the rise and hygiene products are undergoing a transformation, thanks to technological advances such as smart cleaning technologies, automation and robotics.

Rational decisions

Piroska Solymosi opines that bar and restaurant owners typically choose products based on price. However, in more upmarket locations sustainability is clearly a guiding principle. There is still plenty of room for improvement in Hungary’s hygiene culture, even if hand hygiene has improved a lot since the pandemic. Márk Varga explains that they provide partner not only with premium products, but also personalised advice, hygiene audits and digital monitoring systems, guaranteeing constant quality and cost-effectiveness. What distinguishes Hagleitner products from the cheaper, value category is innovation, durability and sustainability. For instance Hagleitner products generate less waste and the company’s dispensing systems are precision-engineered, in order to curb overconsumption while guaranteeing the highest level of hygiene.

Automation and robotisation also tends to come to the fore in cleaning, partly because of the expected shortage of skilled labour

Happy future!

According to Ákos Bősze, in the future automation and robotics will gain ground in HoReCa hygiene. METRO offers hygiene-themed training course at its Gastro Academy. Márk Varga thinks the restaurants of the future will operate using fully digitalised hygiene systems, e.g. in the toilets AI will monitor the availability of hygiene products and automatically reorders them from the supplier if they are running low. Hagleitner is already working on developing products and solutions that meet the hygiene requirements of the future. Szabolcs Fábián believes that in 10-20 years’ time restaurants are likely to be equipped with highly advanced hygiene technologies such as self-cleaning surfaces, smart dishwashers and AI-driven air purification, based on robotics and touchless technology. Piroska Solymosi adds that minimising the environmental impact will certainly be on the priority list 10-20 years from now, hopefully as an expectation and not as a goal.

Hygiene: global trends

From digital temperature monitoring systems to automated cleaning processes, new technologies are playing a key role in ensuring food safety in restaurants. Education is an essential component of any successful food hygiene programme. Restaurants are introducing stricter cleaning rules to ensure the safety of their guests. Many businesses follow sustainable practices in their food hygiene programs. Restaurants are working with health authorities to ensure compliance with food safety regulations.