FAQs

Manuka Honey comes from the nectar of the flower of the Mānuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium) which is indigenous to New Zealand. It is the nectar and the bee that give this honey its unique properties.

Manuka Honey is complex that goes far beyond simple table honey, it is a unique honey. It is widely recognised and highly sought after by consumers and has a substantial body of research behind it. Manuka Honey is acknowledged as being the ‘standard’ against which other honey are compared. 

We would love to tell you about our own positive experiences, New Zealand regulations do not allow us to go into detail about the health benefits of Manuka Honey. This is because New Zealand has strict rules health claims relating to food. We recommend a Google (re) search for thousands of first-hand reviews, applications and experiences. 

There are many factors that affect Manuka Honey yield each season and the conditions have to be ‘just-right’.   

Mānuka grows in the farthest reaches and isolated parts of New Zealand and can be difficult to access. Hardy and resilient, Mānuka can also be difficult to grow. Manuka Honey can only be made over a short time frame (around six weeks a year) when the plant is in flower. The amount of honey produced can vary greatly depending on weather conditions and how much nectar is produced. You need dry, warm, summer conditions with moisture in the ground and balmy nights for the nectar of the flowers to start flowing.

There are only 2800 tonnes of Manuka Honey produced each year, this is compared with 1.9 million tonnes of other honey produced globally. This 2800 tonnes has to supply the entire global market. As there are different grades of Manuka Honey the higher the grade, the less there is available and the more scarce it becomes.
All these factors make Manuka Honey rare and expensive.

Its estimated that as much as 10,000 tonnes of honey labelled as ‘Manuka’ are sold every year around the world. Remember that pure, unadulterated, quality, certified, tested, unpasteurised and raw honey has proven health benefits.  All Manuka honeys are not equal and it can be difficult to know what you’re getting.

Make sure that you invest in superior quality Hauora Life Manuka Honey and have the satisfaction of buying authentic Manuka Honey direct from us in New Zealand.

New Zealand export requirements for food and labelling standards are maintained and administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), a government organisation independent from the honey industry.

Manuka Honey producers who export their honey overseas are required to test their honey against MPI’s Manuka Honey scientific definition to prove the honey is authentic and ensure they meet all legal requirements for truthful labelling. Only certain MPI-recognised laboratories are certified to test Manuka Honey to authenticate it is real. 

MGO (methylglyoxal) rating is based on the scientific evidence revealed in 2008 by Professor Thomas Henley. It enables to make informed choices about the potency of honey you are buying.

Not all Manuka Honey is equal – it is important to know that the level of methylglyoxal can vary greatly in Manuka Honey, so you want to be sure you get what you’ve paid for.

That is why Hauora Life test and certify every batch of Manuka Honey to guarantee the level of methylglyoxal present, as indicated by the MGO on the label. Each batch also undergoes stringent quality testing and is fully traceable right back to the beekeeper it came from.

MGO rating and quality system is developed based on the scientific evidence revealed in 2008 by Professor Thomas Henle and his research group (Technical University of Dresden, Germany) which identified methylglyoxal (MGO) as one of the key compounds found in New Zealand Manuka Honey. 

The MGO rating and quality system means our customers can easily make an informed choice of the potency of the honey they’re buying. The higher the MGO rating, the higher the grade of honey.

Manuka Honey needs to be tested for its quality. The higher the quality of honey quality, the higher the price of Manuka Honey. MGO and UMF are grading systems where the key compound is MGO backed by research.

MGO stands for methylglyoxal, the naturally occurring compound that makes Manuka Honey so unique. Hauora Life uses MGO as it is the key compound that makes Manuka Honey unique. Our honey also at minimum meet the NZ standards of Manuka Honey.

UMF is an individual grading system. UMF is an acronym meaning Unique Manuka Factor. UMF is a grading system by the UMFHA (Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association). It incorporates the measurement of MGO and tests for genuine Manuka Honey as per the NZ government definition into one single grading system. Although UMF and MGO measure different things, there is still a relationship between MGO and UMF values. Below is a table of rough parities:

UMF 5+ = MGO83+
UMF10+ = MGO263+
UMF15+ = MGO514+
UMF20+ = MGO829+ 

Our stringent testing programme is three-fold.

1. It confirms authenticity based on the scientific definition from New Zealand (MPI).
2. It confirms potency including efficacy, grading & MGO rating.
3. It confirms purity, quality & food safety and thus each batch is issued a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) document which confirms the product meets specification.

Careful processing, testing and storage ensures the honey retains unique natural properties across the globe.

Learn more about our testing here. 

There is no government definition or requirement for honey to be defined as ‘raw’, but according to our research, consumers are looking for ‘raw’ honey because they believe heat-treating can diminish the positive effects of the honey.

This is true and backed by technical research – overheating honey will change its properties. We steer clear of this.

We gently warm our honey to the same temperatures that it reaches within the bee-hive. This makes it easier for us to remove natural debris such as wax and propolis, and it enables us to pour the honey easily into the amber jars we use to protect the precious honey until it reaches you. We do not heat-treat our honey in any way. 

Yes, all of our honey is tested in New Zealand.

Our honey undergoes rigorous testing including but not limited to:

• TEST FOR AUTHENTICITY 
  All New Zealand Mānuka honey that is exported to countries overseas must meet a Government established scientific definition. The definition specifies a set of five science-based markers which identify the origin of Manuka honey. These markers need to be present to credibly call it New Zealand Manuka honey and only honey that meets the new standards will be certified for export as New Zealand Manuka honey. 

• TEST FOR POTENCY

  Our lead test for potency is for the compound methylglyoxal (MGO). After years of research, scientists discovered MGO as the key compound in Manuka honey, directly related to its potency. MGO is a transparent testing and rating system that gives consumers assurance of the quality of Hauora Life Manuka honey.

  Over the past decade, MGO has become an internationally recognised guide in helping consumers purchase Manuka honey based on its methylglyoxal potency. The UMF grading system for Manuka honey also measures methylglyoxal as one of its compounds.

• PURITY, QUALITY & FOOD SAFETY

  These are tests for contamination, toxins, adulteration, heat damage and freshness.

We have a sophisticated supply chain domestically and internationally. This means we can ensure a secure supply chain from beekeeper to your home, across the globe. We have comprehensive authenticity and quality testing of the honey, both at raw material and finished product stages, guaranteeing quality, purity and safety. 

In our honey nothing added to this product artificially at any stage in the honey production process. The farmland the bees forage is not sprayed with pesticides, herbicides or insecticides because the rugged, mountainous terrain is not suitable for animals to graze. All our honey is raw, pure and unpasteurised.

Some of our honey are officially certified as an organic food with additional testing and certification obtained to meet the organic food specific criteria.
Due to the processes involved, the price of Organic Certified honey is higher. Read more about our Organic Story.

Honey doesn’t really expire. It has been said that it remains as good as it was when it was extracted. As long as it is stored properly (out of direct sunlight, not exposed to direct heat and isn’t frozen) it will last well beyond it’s best before date. For health and safety purposes, we recommend to consume your honey within its best before date or three years of opening. Our honey is guaranteed to hold its certified activity levels until at least the best before date.

For food products commercially sold, including honey, expiration or best before dates are a commercial requirement.  Honey jars are normally stamped with a “best before date” that suggests a shelf life of up to 5 years, especially on exported jars.

If your honey becomes gritty and sugar like, don’t fret it is perfectly fine to consume and does not mean that it is of poor quality or has been adulterated. Honey can naturally crystalise, particularly when the weather turns cooler. Simply place the jar in a warm area or gently heat in order to soften the honey, this will remove the crystals.

For many years, women have consumed Manuka Honey during pregnancy with no reported problems. Always consult a professional as necessary.

No. It is not safe for infants under 12 months to ingest Manuka Honey. Manuka Honey contains live enzymes and bacteria because it is a living food. These living organisms can grow inside a baby’s gut and cause infant botulism. Babies’ intestines are not mature enough to fight the harmful bacteria. Always read instructions on the label before use and consult a professional as neccessary.

Honey has been used to treat a range of ailments for thousands of years, and the healing properties of the Mānuka plant have long been valued and used traditionally by the New Zealand Maori people.

New Zealand Manuka Honey has gained a global reputation for its healing properties, and it remains the most researched therapeutic honey in the world, particularly for skin and wound healing. However, while many people firmly believe that eating Manuka Honey has health benefits, under New Zealand Food laws, we are restricted to how we promote Manuka Honey.

We are interested in more fully understanding the benefits of eating Manuka Honey from a health perspective and research is ongoing to understand this complex honey better.

As with any new product we recommend a patch test before use. Do not use if you have an allergy to bee stings or any of the listed ingredients. We would always advise you to consult with your doctor before use. Avoid direct contact with eyes.

Patch testing is generally recommended to see whether any ingredient causes an allergic skin irritation reaction. We recommend a small patch test before using any of our honey.

Do not use our products should you have an existing allergy to bee stings or any ingredients listed in the product.

If you have any questions about the ingredients in our products then please get in touch.