Walk through any commercial kitchen and you’ll find wipes.
On the bench, near the grill, beside the prep station. What most operators don’t realise is that nearly all of them are made with plastic, and every time they’re used near food, they leave something behind.
It’s one of those industry-wide habits that has gone largely unquestioned. Until now.
At Fine Food Australia 2026, visitors will see exhibitors tackling exactly this challenge: products that break category norms and offer the foodservice industry something genuinely better. CleanLIFE is showcasing a range of plastic free wet wipes, including products considered first to market: a plastic free dry absorbing wipe that delivers 35% more absorbency than plastic‑based wipes eliminating microplastic risks near foods, and a surface disinfectant cleaning wipe that is preservative free, utilising the power of naturally fermented vinegar. Both have been purpose‑built for foodservice and hospitality environments.
From Visitor to Exhibitor
CleanLIFE’s decision to exhibit didn’t come from a sales call. It came from walking the floor.
Phil, founder of CleanLIFE, attended Fine Food Australia as a visitor in 2025. He took stock of the audience, watched how the show worked, and left with the answer.
“Once we got a feel for the show, it was fairly much confirmed for us that this would be a great audience to promote and launch a few new technologies we’re bringing to market this year.”
“It was pretty well organised and I was impressed with it. Once we visited, it was fairly much confirmed for us that this would be a great audience.”
With both products ready and clients already using them, Fine Food Australia was the right platform to scale the conversation, reaching restaurant operators, secondary food processors, and the hospitality venues where these products are most immediately relevant.
The Wipe Eliminating Microplastics From Commercial Kitchens
Most commercial wipes look the same. The difference is what they leave behind.
CleanLIFE’s dry absorbing wipe is entirely plastic-free. Where standard wipes shed synthetic fibres that carry microplastics into food contact surfaces, CleanLIFE’s alternative chars like paper with no residue and no risk. It can go straight into a green bin with food scraps.
“The primary thing is to eliminate the microplastics, both from health risks and the environmental landfill issue. Even with oven and grill wipes, you’re leaving microplastics on those surfaces. When you heat them, you’re poisoning the food without knowing.”
A Disinfectant With Nothing to Hide
The vinegar wipe is where things get particularly interesting. Made with naturally fermented vinegar and carrying no added preservatives, it’s been tested to an A6 log reduction against food bacteria, the strictest food safety standard. The acetic acid does the work, and once dry, it leaves nothing behind.
“If you wipe down a bench where you’ve had raw meat and you’re putting another food near it, you don’t have to wait for it to evaporate or go through another process to clean it because there is no risk of chemicals spoiling the next food.”
That has real implications for kitchens running tight turnarounds. No waiting. No second clean. And if residue comes in contact with food?
“If the wipe or the residue comes in contact with any food, there is no issue. So you can actually clean glass enclosures while the food’s still there because the worst thing that’s going to come in contact with it is vinegar, which acts as a natural preservative anyway.”
Find CleanLIFE on the Show Floor
Products like these don’t sell themselves on a spec sheet. That’s why CleanLIFE’s stand is being built around demonstration. Visitors will be able to trial both products on the day, watching them work on real surfaces in real time.
For an industry still largely unaware that the wipes in their kitchens are shedding microplastics, that moment of discovery is the whole point. CleanLIFE isn’t just launching products at Fine Food Australia 2026. They’re starting a conversation the foodservice industry is well overdue to have.
Stay ahead of what’s shaping the industry. Fine Food Australia 2026 returns to the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, 31 August to 3 September, exclusively for foodservice and hospitality professionals. Secure your free registation now.