Why PURITI Tests for Glyphosate Residue

When you see the word ‘pure’ on a food label, it’s natural to take it at face value. But in the era of modern agriculture, true purity is something that must be proven, not just promised. 

While New Zealand Mānuka honeyis world-renowned for its unique properties, the gold standard of quality is no longer just about the honey’s potency, but ensuring that it’s free from environmental contaminants - like glyphosate. 

Glyphosate is one of the most widely-used herbicides globally, and as consumers become more aware of what they put into their bodies, ‘clean honey’ has taken on a new definition. It’s no longer enough to simply harvest from a remote location; you have to ensure that the reach of modern farming hasn’t followed the bees into the bush. 

At PURITI, we believe that providing the country’s finest Mānuka honey requires a level of transparency that goes beyond the industry norm. We don’t cross our fingers and hope that our honey is clean; we guarantee it. This is why a core part of our process is ensuring that every single jar we produce is independently tested and certified as glyphosate-residue free. 

By focusing on what we keepoutof our honey, we protect the integrity of what goes in. 

Why Glyphosate Matters

Glyphosateis the active ingredient in many common herbicides, and it’s used worldwide for weed control in farming, public parks and home gardens. It’s highly effective for its intended purpose, but there is growing global concern about its presence in the food chain. 

Some international health organisations have raised questions about the long-term health impacts of glyphosate residue in food, leading many consumers to actively seek out “glyphosate-free” alternatives for their pantry. 

New Zealand is often celebrated forits clean and green image, and for the most part, our remote forests are exactly that. But it’s important to acknowledge that our bees are incredibly active creatures, a single hive can end up foraging for nectar in thousands of hectares of native bush. Even if a hive is tucked away in denser bush, there’s always a small risk that bees may come into contact with spray drift from nearby agricultural land or roadside maintenance. 

Most honey brands rely on the reputation ofthe New Zealand landscape as a guarantee of purity. Here at PURITI, we prefer to rely on the data. 

Setting a Higher Benchmark

We don’t believe our customers should have to guess about the safety of their food. To provide total peace of mind, PURITI has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for glyphosate. This means that every batch of PURITI Mānuka honey is sent to an independent laboratory to be tested for chemical residue. 

If the product doesn’t meet our brand’s strict “non-glyphosate” standard, it doesn’t receive the PURITI label. It’s a simple, honest approach to food safety that ensures the honey you put on your table is as natural as the day the bees made it. 

While glyphosate testingis a major part of our story, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. The New Zealand Government, through the Ministry of Primary Industries, has strict legal definitions for what can be called “Mānuka honey”. These tests look at specific DNA markers and chemical compounds to ensure the honey is authentic. 

At PURITI, we see these governments regulations as the minimum requirements - they’re a baseline to build upon. We’ve chosen to set our own internal standards to significantly higher the industry average. 

For example, the industry uses UMF and MGO to measure the potency, or antibacterial strength of each jar. While a standard UMF 15+ rating requires an MGO level of 514mg/kg, PURITI raises that requirement to a minimum of 550mg/kg. We do this across our entire range. 

By voluntarily raising these benchmarks, we ensure that our customers are getting a more potent, high-quality product every single time. 

Security from Hive to Home

In a global market, authentic Mānuka honey is a rare commodity. Unfortunately, its popularity has led to an increase in ‘fake’ Mānuka appearing on international shelves. Protecting the integrity of our honey means protecting the jar itself. 

We’ve heavily investedin bespoke packaging that’s designed to be tamper proof and nearly impossible to counterfeit. Our jars feature eight separate security elements, including:

• Laser-etched branding on the glass and lids

• Invisible ink coding that can only be verified by our team

• Tear-away security seals that ensure the honey hasn’t been opened since it was packed

When you buy a jar of PURITI, you’re getting a guarantee of origin. We handle the entire process - from the hives to the final packaging - right here in New Zealand. 

A Practical Choice for Trusted Mānuka Honey

Many people use Mānuka honey as a natural part of their wellness routine. Whether it’s a teaspoon in the morning to soothe a sore throat, or using a higher UMF grade to support digestion, the benefits are well regarded. 

However, for a natural remedy to be effective, it needs to be clean. If you’re using honey for its health properties, the last thing you want is for that honey to contain trace amounts of agricultural herbicides. By choosing glyphosate-free honey, you’re giving your body the full benefit of MGO and other great compounds, without any unwanted additives. 

We know that you’ve got plenty of choices when it comes to buying honey. Our goal isn’t to become another brand on the shelf; but the brand you trust implicitly. This is why we hold ourselves to the SQF certification - one of the most rigorous food safety programmes in the world. 

The SQF requires us to have full traceability for every gram of honey we produce. If there’s a jar of PURITI on your counter, we can tell you exactly which region it came from and the results of its purity test. This level of accountability means you’re never taking our word for it; the proof is in the documentation. 

By maintaining such strict benchmarks, we’re keeping our supply chain as pristine as the New Zealand wilderness itself. It’s about more than just meeting a requirement - at PURITI, it’s about delivering a product you trust without question, from the hive to your home. 

Making the Informed Choice

At the end of the day, our philosophy is simple: we deliver honey to a standard we’d be comfortable offering to our own families. That means our Mānuka honey needs to be potent, it must be authentic and it has to be clean. 

When we test for glyphosate and set higher potency standards,we take the guesswork out of buying Mānuka honey. You don't have to wonder if it's reliable, and there’s no fears around about what might be hiding in it. 

It’s just pure, powerful New Zealand honey, exactly as nature intended. Visit our website to explore our complete, non-glyphosate range of award-winning Mānuka honey.