Drama in the manuka honey world
New Zealand’s ‘liquid gold’ is fraudulently sold as the real thing
● There’s been an unexpected wave of food crime in the first half of 2018.
In mid-August, $98,000 (R1.4m) worth of ramen noodles were stolen from a trailer in Georgia. In Chile, a long drought and surging avocado demand has resulted in organised armed groups assaulting producers in broad daylight. To address rising theft, the country has appointed “guac cops” as well as its first avocado-focused prosecutor. Theft of the fruit is likewise a problem in New Zealand, which has led to the installation of alarm systems in orchards.
Yet, New Zealand has an even fancier food that’s raising legal issues.
Manuka honey is the pricey sweetener with remarkable antibacterial properties — heralded for its ability to heal wounds and burns, aid digestion, and keep skin smooth.
The dark, medicinal-flavoured honey is produced from the manuka tree, which is native to New Zealand. It has been rising in popularity, particularly over the past six years, growing 33.5% from 2012 to 2016, according to QYResearch.
But its “liquid gold” reputation is causing problems inside the industry. In July, three people filed a class-action lawsuit in Oakland, California, against Trader Joe’s for selling counterfeit manuka honey that had been labelled as 100% pure. The consumers allege they paid a premium for honey that was 100% manuka but tested as being 62.6%. The case, Moore vs Trader Joe’s, notes violations in New York, California and North Carolina.
Earlier this month, Good Morning Ameri- ca started an investigation into the product. The show teamed up with Sweetwater Science Lab to test several widely available brands to check purity. Even back in 2014, the New Zealand ministry of primary industries revealed that only 1,700t of manuka honey were produced annually, while more than 10,000t labelled manuka were sold.
One of the major players in the manuka honey market is Comvita. It’s the only honey listed on the New Zealand stock exchange, where it posted a $9.3m profit for the year ended June. In January, Comvita expanded its presence to 200 Costco stores in the US and to warehouses around Canada.
Corey Blick, vice-president of Comvita North America, keeps tabs on the manuka honey world. “Who would have thought honey would cause lawsuits?” He won’t comment on the Trader Joe’s lawsuit, but he notes that “whenever you’re seeing a low- priced manuka honey out there, it raises reason for suspicion.” The prices of Comvita products range from $23-$150. A range of numbers measure the UMF, or Unique Manuka Factor, a rating developed by the New Zealand UMF Honey Association. It’s an evaluation based on purity and quality, with grades that include 5+, 10+ and 15+.The highest-priced
Who would have thought honey would cause lawsuits?
Corey Blick
Vice-president of Comvita North America
is the highest-strength: the 20+.
Manuka honey producers can’t manufacture enough to meet demand. It’s produced from bushy manuka trees that flower only a few weeks a year. “We turn down orders every single week. It’s frustrating,” says Blick.
The remaining product is precious. “I was at our warehouse, we had a pallet of our 20+ jars on the top shelf, and the driver looked a little shaky,” he recalls. “I said to him: ‘Don’t stress; it’s only the value of an Aston Martin that you’re working with.’”
Another notable manuka importer is Pacific Resources International (PRI). CEO David Noll began importing it to the US three decades ago. “Manuka has attracted a lot of what I call scalawags,” says Noll. “Whenever you get a product that’s making money, the wrong kind of ingenuity kicks in.”
Earlier this year, PRI commissioned independent tests to assess various manuka honeys. Included among brands that came into question was Wedderspoon Organic USA. According to Noll, Wedderspoon is one of two honeys that Costco has discontinued. “I’m not saying their honey is bad, it’s just not a true manuka.”
Noll says he was approached by Costco to supply the chain with honey, as well as by Trader Joe’s. “Trader Joe’s came to me, but their focus is price,” he explains. They couldn’t make it work in the end.
“I said: ‘If you can find manuka honey at that price, go for it,”’ he says. “The person who was supplying them with honey had to cut corners — and got caught.”
Blick doesn’t think the problem of counterfeit manuka will improve soon. “The last two manuka beekeeping seasons were below average. There’s a reduction in yield. And the demand is only going up. That will drive the price up too.”