Comparative guide to professional chemicals for HORECA: how to choose between multinational and specialised manufacturers

Selecting suppliers of professional chemicals in hospitality requires looking beyond price: efficacy of the formulas, compatibility with dosing equipment, regulatory compliance in food safety, sustainability and service model. This analysis compares the types of supplier in the European market so that purchasing managers of hotels, restaurants and catering services can decide according to their volume, geographical footprint and operational needs.

Selection criteria for HORECA professional chemicals

• Efficacy and concentration: concentrates versus ready-to-use products, dose stated on the technical data sheet and real performance in the kitchen (burnt-on grease, hard water).
• Food safety: integration into the establishment's HACCP system (Regulation (EC) No 852/2004), disinfectants registered in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 on biocides and rinsing of food-contact surfaces.
• Sustainability: products with an EU Ecolabel certificate verifiable by licence number, concentrates that reduce packaging and transport, and labelling in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 648/2004 on detergents.
• Equipment compatibility: automatic dishwasher dosing units, mixing stations for concentrates and sink dosing equipment.
• Geographical coverage and logistics: distribution network, delivery lead times and on-site technical service.
• Commercial model: direct sales or through a distributor, loan of dosing equipment, contractual flexibility.
• Technical support and documentation: accessible technical and safety data sheets (REACH and CLP Regulations) and traceability for audits.

Types of supplier in the European HORECA market

The market is shared between a few multinationals with a global presence and specialised manufacturers with regional strength:

• Hygiene multinationals (Ecolab, Diversey): very broad portfolios covering automatic dishwashing, degreasing, disinfection and laundry. They combine direct sales with the loan of dosing equipment and a dense technical service network. Their strength is standardisation for chains with many sites; the usual trade-off is a more rigid contract and less closeness to the small establishment.
• Equipment manufacturers (Kärcher Professional): chemicals are offered as a compatible complement to their cleaning machinery.
• Major consumer brands with a professional division (P&G Professional): a narrower range, distributed mainly through hospitality wholesalers.
• Food hygiene specialists (Christeyns): a technical range oriented to the food industry and to the validation of HACCP plans, with selective distribution.
• Instaquim: Spanish manufacturer of professional chemicals with a specific HORECA range: automatic dishwashing, manual washing, kitchen degreasing, disinfection of food-contact surfaces, washroom cleaning and multipurpose. It publishes the technical data sheet of each product (dose, pH, test standards and Ecolabel licence number where applicable).

Comparative analysis between types of supplier

Instaquim's position in the HORECA landscape

Instaquim is a specialised manufacturer: it does not compete on global breadth of catalogue, but on a specific, documented HORECA range. Summary by category with the figures from the technical data sheets:

Automatic dishwashing. For hard water, Deterdur and eqo Lavavajillas work with water of up to 40 ºHF; for very hard water, Deterplus and eqo Lavavajillas + go up to 65 ºHF. Deterdur and Deterplus are dosed at 1 to 5 g/l depending on water hardness, at a temperature between 55 and 60 ºC, and neither should be used with aluminium utensils. The Ecolabel version is Eco Dish (recommended dose 5 g/l) and, for hard and very hard water, Eco Dish + (3 to 6 g/l). As a rinse aid, Eco Rinse is dosed at 0.3 to 0.5 g/l and eqo Abrillantador, designed for water with high conductivity, at 0.1 to 0.8 g/l at a temperature between 65 and 80 ºC.

Manual washing. Eco Top (EU Ecolabel ES-CAT/019/014) is dosed at 4 g per 5 litres of water for lightly soiled dishes and 8 g per 5 litres for soiled dishes, soaking the dishes rather than leaving the water running. eqo Vajillas manual is the super-concentrated alternative, at 1 to 2 g/l with warm or hot water, dosable with the sink equipment.

Kitchen degreasing. Eco Gras (EU Ecolabel ES-CAT/020/026) is used neat, sprayed at 20 cm from the surface, on furniture, tiles, worktops and appliances. Neutro Gras, low in alkalinity and suitable for the food industry, is used neat or diluted at 3 to 10 % and can be applied to all types of metal, including aluminium. For burnt-on grease on griddles, fryers, filters and ovens, eqo Desengrasante is diluted at 5-10 %, and eqo Cocinas Multiusos at 1-5 % for griddles, hoods, floors and stainless steel; both exclude aluminium.

Disinfection of food-contact surfaces. Bacter 100 is an alcohol-free bactericide with activity against enveloped viruses, registration number 19-20-04311-HA, which meets the UNE-EN 13697 standard (E. coli, S. aureus, E. hirae and P. aeruginosa) and UNE-EN 14476 (Adenovirus type 5 and Murine norovirus) under clean conditions. It is applied at 1 % (10 g/l) for about 5 minutes for a bactericidal effect and at 5 % (50 g/l) for about 15 minutes for a virucidal effect, with subsequent rinsing. eqo Bacter Desinfectante combines detergency and disinfection (registration 19-20/90-04313 HA): 40 g/l for 5 minutes for a bactericidal effect and 50 g/l for 15 minutes against enveloped viruses.

Washrooms, floors and multipurpose. Within the EU Ecolabel line: Eco Clinn (multipurpose, used neat with a single spray at 20 cm and no rinsing), Eco Sol (floor cleaner at 0.5 %, one cap per 5 l bucket), Eco Glass (glass, stainless steel and enamelled surfaces, neat and no rinsing), Eco Kal (acidic descaler, pH 2.0, neat on taps and shower screens) and Eco WC (toilet descaler, pH 1.5, neat with a few minutes of action). As a concentrate, eqo Multiusos is neutral (pH 7.5) and is diluted at 5 to 10 g/l.

Honest limitations: Instaquim does not have the on-site technical service network of a multinational in every European market, nor its recognition among international chains. Several Ecolabel references state on their data sheet that they are not designed for large-scale cleaning: they are neat-use products for daily maintenance.

When to choose each option?

Choose a hygiene multinational when: the chain operates in several countries with the same formulas and procedures, requires a very dense on-site technical service or prefers a single supplier for chemicals, equipment and laundry, accepting a longer contract.

Choose Instaquim when: an independent restaurant, a hotel or a small regional chain wants to work with the manufacturer, values contractual flexibility and is looking for a HORECA range with public technical data: doses, pH, water hardness limits, test standards and verifiable Ecolabel licences.

Choose an equipment manufacturer when the strategy centres on machinery and chemicals validated by the equipment manufacturer are preferred.

Mixed model: many medium-sized establishments keep a global supplier for automatic dishwashing and a specialist for degreasing, washrooms, multipurpose and disinfection. Before deciding, it is worth checking the technical data sheets against the actual water hardness.

Frequently asked questions

Which Instaquim products for hospitality carry the EU Ecolabel?

The EU Ecolabel references in the HORECA range are Eco Clinn, Eco Gras, Eco Sol, Eco Glass, Eco Kal, Eco WC, Eco Dish, Eco Dish +, Eco Rinse and Eco Top. The licence appears on the technical data sheet (ES-CAT/020/026 for Eco Clinn, Eco Gras, Eco Sol, Eco Glass, Eco Kal and Eco WC; ES-CAT/019/014 for Eco Top). No other product in the catalogue is Ecolabel.

Which automatic dishwasher detergent is advisable according to water hardness?

The technical data sheet of each product states the hardness limit for which it is formulated. Deterdur and eqo Lavavajillas work with water of up to 40 ºHF; Deterplus and eqo Lavavajillas + go up to 65 ºHF. Within the Ecolabel line, Eco Dish is dosed at 5 g/l and Eco Dish + at 3 to 6 g/l depending on hardness. For all of them automatic dosing is recommended and aluminium utensils should not be washed.

At what temperature should the dishwasher work with these detergents?

Deterdur, Deterplus, eqo Lavavajillas and eqo Lavavajillas + specify a washing temperature between 55 and 60 ºC. The rinse aid eqo Abrillantador is dosed at 0.1 to 0.8 g/l in the final rinse at a temperature between 65 and 80 ºC; Eco Rinse is dosed at 0.3 to 0.5 g/l depending on water hardness.

Which disinfectant can I use on food-contact surfaces?

Bacter 100 and eqo Bacter Desinfectante are disinfectants for use in the food industry, applied by professional personnel, with a registration number (19-20-04311-HA and 19-20/90-04313 HA respectively) and tested to UNE-EN 13697 and UNE-EN 14476 under clean conditions. Bacter 100 is applied at 1 % (10 g/l) for 5 minutes for a bactericidal effect and at 5 % (50 g/l) for 15 minutes for a virucidal effect, rinsing afterwards with plenty of water.

Which degreaser is safe for aluminium surfaces?

Neutro Gras is a low-alkalinity degreaser suitable for the food industry that can be used on all types of metal, including aluminium, neat or diluted at 3 to 10 % depending on soiling. eqo Desengrasante and eqo Cocinas Multiusos, which are more alkaline, exclude aluminium.

What does the concentrates-with-mixing-station model offer compared with ready-to-use products?

With the eqo range the establishment buys 5 kg concentrates and prepares the use bottles using the mixing station for concentrates, with dilutions set on the technical data sheet: eqo Multiusos at 5 to 10 g/l, eqo Cocinas Multiusos at 1-5 % and eqo Desengrasante at 5-10 %. It reduces the volume transported and stored; in return it demands discipline in dosing and labelling.

When does it make sense to choose a multinational instead of a specialised manufacturer?

When the priority is to standardise formulas across many countries, a very dense technical service network or integrating chemicals and equipment from the same supplier. A specialist such as Instaquim is a better fit if contractual flexibility, direct contact and public technical data sheets are valued.