Five Things Mānuka Honey Brands Won’t Tell You

Mānuka honey is extraordinary. From the remote landscapes of New Zealand to wellness shelves across the world, it has earned its place as one of the most sought-after natural foods on the planet - prized for its remarkable properties and unmistakable depth of flavour. But in a global market now worth billions, not everything being sold under that name is the real thing. And most brands would prefer you didn't know the difference.

This is not a scare story. It's an honest conversation about how the Mānuka honey industry actually works - the things that rarely make it onto a label and what they mean for you as a buyer. At PURITI, we believe transparency isn't optional. So here are five things most brands won't tell you, and what we do differently.

1. Most Honey Sold as ‘Mānuka’ Isn’t The Real Thing

The Leptospermum scoparium tree - or, the Mānuka tree - blooms for just two to six weeks each year, in remote corners of New Zealand. Genuine monofloral Mānuka honey is, by its very nature, a finite and precious resource.

And yet, the volume of honey sold globally as 'Mānuka' consistently exceeds what New Zealand actually produces. That's not speculation - it's a well-documented industry reality, and it matters because it means a significant portion of what consumers are buying simply cannot be genuine.

How does this happen? Two main ways. The first is by blending: Mānuka honey can legally be mixed with other honey varieties, and in many markets, the resulting blend can still be labelled as Mānuka. Without independent certification, there's no way for a buyer to know. Secondly, there's a gap in New Zealand's regulatory framework: theNew Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Mānuka Honey Science Definition applies to honey exported as finished, consumer-ready product - however, it doesn’t apply to honey that’s exported in bulk barrels. That honey can be packed overseas and sold as 'Mānuka' without ever meeting the scientific definition.

Every jar of PURITI honeyis tested and certified to the MPI Science Definition before it leaves New Zealand. We sell only 100% monofloral Mānuka honey - never blends, never bulk-packed abroad. The UMF™ certification on every jar is your independent, third-party guarantee.

2. The UMF Grade on the Label May Not Mean What You Think

UMF™ is the gold standard in Mānuka honey grading - but the letters 'UMF' appearing on a jar are not, in themselves, a guarantee of anything. This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of the market.

UMF™ is a registered trademark of theUnique Mānuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA). Only licensed members can legitimately use the UMF™ mark. Some brands, however, use UMF-style language or similar-looking grading systems that are self-declared rather than independently verified - which is a critical distinction that most consumers would never notice.

Genuine UMF grading tests for three key markers: MGO (methylglyoxal, the primary antibacterial compound), DHA (dihydroxyacetone, its natural precursor), and Leptosperin (a marker that’s unique to  genuine Mānuka). All three must be independently tested for a result to be authentic. Think of UMF™ like a star rating for hotels — meaningful only when an independent body issues the stars, not the hotel itself.

And even among certified brands, the grade on the label represents a minimum threshold, not a promise. A jar marked UMF 10+ may just barely meet that standard. PURITI sets its own internal MGO thresholds above the UMFHA minimum at every grade - which means when you buy a PURITI UMF 10+ jar, the honey inside consistently exceeds what the grade requires. 

The number on our labels are the floor, not the ceiling. If you'd like to understand exactly how PURITI's testing compares to the industry standard,visit our Standards page.

3. It Might Not Have Been Packed in New Zealand

This is perhaps the least-known issue in the industry - and it’s one of the most important ones to understand.

New Zealand law requires that honey exported as finished, consumer-ready product meets the MPI Mānuka Honey Science Definition. But honey exported in bulk barrels for overseas packing faces no such requirement. This means a brand can purchase bulk honey, ship it to a third-party facility in another country, then sell the resulting jars as 'Mānuka honey' - all without the product having met New Zealand's own standards.

Third-party packing compounds the problem. Once honey leaves its source facility, the chain of custody becomes difficult to verify. Quality can degrade. Mislabelling is harder to detect. Traceability - knowing exactly where your honey came from and how it was handled - effectively disappears.

At PURITI, our honey is harvested, extracted, tested, certified, and packed at a single facility here in New Zealand - our own. There is no third-party packing, no overseas handling, no break in the chain. Every jar is traceable from hive to shelf and features more than eleven anti-counterfeit security measures, including a custom-designed jar that cannot be replicated.

4. The Bees - and the Land - Matter More Than Brands Admit

Most Mānuka honey marketing focuses on what's in the jar. Very few brands talk meaningfully about what happens long before the jar is filled - and that's where quality is truly determined.

The MGO concentration in Mānuka honey is directly shaped by the purity and density of the Leptospermum scoparium forage that’s available to the bees. Hivesplaced in pristine, remote locations, far from agricultural land, consistently produce honey with higher MGO ratings. The landscape is not incidental to quality - it is the quality.

Pesticide and herbicide contamination is a genuine concern. Bees forage across wide areas and hives placed near conventional farming can produce honey that tests positive for glyphosate residues, even when the beekeeper hasn't applied them directly. Testing for glyphosate is not an industry standard. At PURITI, it is - because we believe you have a right to know exactly what's in your honey. Every jar of PURITI honey is certified glyphosate residue-free.

We work with a close, trusted network of New Zealand beekeeping partners - not contractors, partners - who position hives in some of the country's most remote and unspoiled landscapes. Some of those sites are only reachable by helicopter. 

Read about our commitment to ethical beekeeping - it's integral to everything we make.

5. More Testing Isn't Just a Marketing Claim - Most Brands Don't Actually Do It

Here's what rigorous testing looks like in practice - and why it matters.

The minimum requirement to carry a UMF™ grade is set by the UMFHA. Some brands test to exactly that minimum, batch-sampled rather than batch-tested, and nothing more. There's a meaningful difference between testing a sample and testing every single batch, and this becomes the difference between an average and a guarantee.

Standard industry testing covers MGO, DHA and Leptosperin. PURITI also tests for glyphosate residues, heavy metals, and microbial contamination - markers that most brands would never disclose. Every batch is independently tested, not sampled. The number on your PURITI label reflects the specific batch in your jar, verified by an independent third-party laboratory. 

There’s no in-house testing that could be subject to commercial pressure. The science is clean and the results are on the label because we want you to have complete confidence in what you're buying.

What to Look for When Choosing Mānuka Honey

Armed with this knowledge, here's a practical checklist for any Mānuka honey purchase:

• Look for the UMF™ trademark symbol - not just the letters 'UMF'. Confirm the brand is a licensed UMFHA member.

• Check that the honey was harvested and packed in New Zealand. If the packaging doesn't state this clearly, ask.

• Look for both UMF grade and MGO value on the label. Both should be present and correspond correctly (e.g. UMF 10+ = MGO 263+).

• Check for glyphosate-free certification. Very few brands offer this. Those that do have nothing to hide.

• Look for full traceability. The best brands can tell you which region of New Zealand your honey comes from.

• Be wary of very low prices for high-grade Mānuka. Genuine UMF 20+ honey is rare and costly to produce. If the price seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Why PURITI Does Things Differently

Everything raised in this article comes back to a single question: how much does a brand trust its own honey?

At PURITI, we trust ours completely. Every jar is 100% monofloral Mānuka honey, independently UMF™ certified, harvested and packed at source in New Zealand. Our beekeeping partners tend remote hives with care and precision. Our testing goes beyond what the industry requires - for glyphosate, for heavy metals, batch by batch - because we believe the standard should be higher.

We make our honey in our own facility. We control every step. We ship directly from New Zealand to you. That's not a marketing position - it's simply how we've always worked.

Now you know what genuine Mānuka honey looks like.Explore PURITI's full range of UMF-certified Mānuka honey →