Manuka Honey Quality Assurance
Harvested, packed, tested and certified in New Zealand
Helena Health honey is produced and collected from our own bee-hives, located in remote pristine areas of New Zealand.
Helena Health is strictly following rigorous testing, certification and regulatory standards introduced by New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to ensure Manuka honey harvested, packed, tested and certified in New Zealand is genuine Manuka honey.
Certification
In 2017, New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) conducted an extensive industry consultation on combating the sale of counterfeit Manuka honey worldwide. After consideration, the MPI settled on a clear, scientific definition of Manuka honey.
The definition states that four chemical markers from nectar and one DNA marker from Manuka pollen must meet or surpass certain levels to meet overseas export requirements. The rules came into force from February 5th, 2018, alongside certification. Now, certified Manuka honey that’s been harvested, packed and tested in New Zealand is genuine Manuka honey.
Traceable origins
Honeys with traceable origins typically include batch numbers on every jar – like every jar of Helena Health honey.
You can use a honey’s batch numbers to trace the honey back to its true origin, which is independently verified, thus proving the genuine origin of any jar of honey – Manuka or otherwise.
Purity and quality:
UMF and/or MGO ratings
UMF stands for Unique Manuka Factor. MGO stands for methylglyoxal. Although MGO is a lot more precise, both metrics indicate the level of natural methylglyoxal in the honey. Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a dominant constituent responsible for a stable antibacterial activity of Manuka honeys.
Our honeys each include their own MGO number, which reflects the concentration of methylglyoxal in each jar and thus the ‘strength’ of the Manuka honey. What’s more, you use the batch numbers on our jars to trace every jar of Helena Health Manuka honey back to its origins.
We take a scientific approach to testing our Manuka honey for purity and quality. Harvested, packed, tested and certified here in New Zealand, you can be assured all Helena Health Manuka honey meets the New Zealand MPI’s legal definition of genuine Manuka honey.
