Govt adds sting to NZ’s claim to manuka honey

There’s Champagne from the French wine region, feta from Greece, and soon manuka honey from New Zealand.

The Government has released a scientific definition for manuka honey in the hope of safeguarding the authenticity of the products New Zealand exports overseas.

It means overseas regulators and consumers can have confidence in that the honey they’re receiving is genuine New Zealand manuka honey, as it’s a premium product, exported at a premium price.

Food Safety Minister David Bennett said it was those overseas regulators and consumers who’ve been pushing for an independent, Government-backed definition.

“[It] will provide an important starting point for the industry to promote New Zealand manuka honey in world markets,” he said.

The scientific definition has taken the Ministry for Primary Industries more than two years to develop, which the ministry said was necessary because questions had been raised in overseas markets about the authenticity of some honey being sold as New Zealand manuka honey.

Ministry experts collected more than 800 honey samples from more than 20 different honey types, from 16 different countries.

They studied the samples to find what the identifying attributes were from the manuka plant that made up the manuka honey product. Then they developed and validated test methods to make sure those attributes can be tested for, and worked out criteria for identifying monofloral and multi-floral manuka honey.

The UMF Honey Association said the announcement of a scientific definition is a step in the right direction for its 100-plus members who together export over 80 per cent of all NZ manuka honey products.

“A robust regulatory definition implemented by MPI across all of the industry will help protect an import- ant New Zealand product which is in huge demand internationally.”

MPI is implementing the definition of manuka honey through changes to export requirements. Public consultation on the definition and the export requirements opened yesterday and runs for six weeks.

The industry organisation for the honey and beekeeping industry, Apiculture New Zealand, is pleased with the definition, calling it a major milestone in the history of the manuka honey industry.