Manuka Honey - Strength & Quality

To determine the strength & quality of Manuka Honey, extensive research has been carried out on Manuka Honey from New Zealand focussed on its health benefits and high levels of naturally occurring energy and strength. Manuka Honey is gathered by bees from the flowers of the native New Zealand Manuka tree. Manuka Honey is sought after due to the high methylglyoxal levels present in them.

Manuka: Hive to Home

The general process for on how the honey gets from our hives to your home is as follows.

  • Manuka Honey is collected from our hives in New Zealand.
  • Manuka Honey is extracted from the hives and samples are sent to independent laboratories for Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) testing to identify if it is a mono-floral or multi-floral Manuka.
  • From the MPI test results, the honey is then identified as multi-floral or mono-floral Manuka Honey. 
  • Manuka Honey is packaged and labelled in our packaging site which is registered and operates under MPI-RMP (Ministry of Primary Industries Risk Management Programme). We now place the specific MGO level numbers on the jar labels based on the independent test results.
  • The honey jars are then distributed through retail outlets where you buy them, and it reaches your home.
  • You can use “Trace My Batch” to see the test results of the honey and trace back to the location of the hive where it was collected.

We take Manuka Honey – Strength & Quality very seriously. All our honey can be attributed to be raw, free of additives, no GMOs, and unpasteurised. These are the desirable elements of Manuka Honey from New Zealand.

  • Classification
Classification
New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries - Classification of Manuka Honey

The classification of Manuka Honey must be clearly stated on the label as per the requirements of New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), a government organisation.

Mono-floral Honey is honey that comes from the nectar of one main flower. In the case of Manuka Honey, this is the Manuka flower.

Multi-floral honey is honey that comes from the nectar of many flowers or honey that has been blended with other honey. If the Manuka levels in honey are not sufficiently high, a Manuka Honey will then be labelled as a multi-floral Manuka Honey.

A mono-floral Manuka Honey is typically labelled as ‘Manuka Honey’ and is considered of higher strength due to its higher Manuka concentrations. A multi-floral Manuka Honey must also be labelled as such, often called ‘Manuka Blend’, 'Multifloral Manuka' or ‘Manuka Honey Blend’ on labels.

All our honey is independently laboratory tested to ensure it meets or exceeds the MPI regulatory requirements for pure and raw Mono-floral Manuka Honey.

These are the additional numbers you will see on our honey jars promoting the quality and strength of our honey. Our MGO numbers on retail packs are typically from MGO 100+ to MGO 250+.

  • Strength
Strength
Accredited Laboratory Independent Testing

The MPI testing ensures the authenticity of the NZ Manuka Honey but it does not tell you the strength in the honey. This is an important measure and is a reason Manuka Honey is so highly sought after.

For the additional quality measurements, further testing is needed to identify the markers relating to the Manuka Honey’s potency and authenticity. MGO is the measurement of Methylglyoxal in Manuka Honey. The higher the MGO level, the more effective the Manuka Honey is.

All our honey is independently MGO strength tested to ensure the honey is guaranteed to hold, at a minimum, the strength as stated on the label e.g. MGO500+, for its shelf life.

  • Quality
Quality
New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries - Regulatory Testing

From December 2017, to protect the integrity of Manuka Honey, the New Zealand government has set strict regulations around how it is produced and sold to the public.

The legal requirements regarding the distribution of Manuka Honey are defined by MPI. You can view the details here.

The test for monofloral mānuka honey or mānuka honey requires all of the 5 attributes in Test 1 and Test 2. If the honey fails to meet one or more of the attributes, it is not monofloral mānuka honey – but it may still pass the test for multifloral mānuka honey.

Test 1: Chemical test

The following chemicals all need to be present and at these levels:

  • 3-phenyllactic acid at a level greater than or equal to 400 mg/kg
  • 2’-methoxyacetophenone at a level greater than or equal to 5 mg/kg
  • 2-methoxybenzoic acid at a level greater than or equal to 1 mg/kg
  • 4-hydroxyphenyllactic acid at a level greater than or equal to 1 mg/kg

Test 2: DNA test

DNA level from mānuka pollen is less than Cq 36, which is approximately 3 fg/µL.

The results of the MPI test also indicate whether the Manuka Honey is classified as multifloral or monofloral honey.

All our honey is independently laboratory tested to ensure it meets or exceeds the MPI regulatory requirements for pure and raw Mono-floral Manuka Honey.

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