Manuka? Check it’s not a fake
How to tell if your honey is the valuable real deal
GENUINE Manuka honey is well known for being delicious — but what else makes it different and how should you select a reliable brand, so that you’re not stung by a fake? This special honey can only come from New Zealand, the one country in the world to have formalised a strict scientific standard for it.
So do be sure that the Manuka you buy has the MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) Standard stamped on the lid. Australian Manuka does exist, but it doesn’t meet this standard, and many countries do not accept it as genuine. True Manuka honey contains high levels of a natural compound called MGO, or Methylglyoxal.
This compound has been studied and is the key marker that makes Manuka different from other types of honey. The MGO rating on the front of the pot refers to how much is contained within the honey in milligrams per kilogram. So a 100 MGO honey has been tested to show it contains 100 milligrams per kilogram. As mentioned, genuine Manuka honey (pictured) can only come from New Zealand. Like all natural products it can only be harvested from a crop, which means a limited supply is produced for sale around the world each year. So the base price for Manuka is higher than for normal table honey, that can be produced anywhere. Authentic Manuka must also undergo rigorous scientific testing to prove it is genuine and not a fake or diluted copy. It should be tested in independent labs before being packed in New Zealand and exported to the UK.
Feel free to ask the retailer or brand you are buying from about where the honey was harvested and where it was packed, and to see the testing certificates for that specific batch. A previous study found that only one in seven samples of so-called Manuka honey had the required amount of the active ingredient. So always be sure you are buying the real deal.