If you have a passion for delicious manuka honey and are also interested in the honey’s amazing antibacterial properties, you may already know that changes are gradually being made to the way manuka honey is labelled.
The manuka honey industry and the New Zealand government are trying to work out a set of labelling guidelines that will help consumers know they are buying genuine manuka honey.
What will change?
You can expect to see the level of MGO mentioned on jars of manuka honey.
MGO stands for methylglyoxal, which is the naturally occurring element that gives manuka honey its unique antibacterial properties.
If the label states the level of MGO does this mean it is UMF manuka honey?
If your jar of manuka honey has the UMF label on it, this means that the honey has been certified under the UMF trademark scheme.
Not all manuka honey producers are members of the UMF scheme, but in future all producers of high quality manuka honey will mention the level of methylglyoxal (MGO).
UMF labels familiar
Many fans of manuka honey have become used to the UMF labelling scheme but the level given, e.g. 5+, 10+, 15+, is directly related to the level of MGO (methylglyoxal). This can be summarized in the table below.
The column on the left shows the level of methylglyoxal. The symbol ≥ means is greater than or equal to.
The column on the right shows the UMF grade that corresponds to the level of MGO. Use the table to work out the UMF strength of your manuka honey!
| Level of MGO (Methylglyoxal) | UMF Grade |
|---|---|
| ≥83 mg/kg | 5+ |
| ≥263 mg/kg | 10+ |
| ≥514 mg/kg | 15+ |
| ≥573 mg/kg | 16+ |
| ≥696 mg/kg | 18+ |
| ≥829 mg/kg | 20+ |
| ≥1200 mg/kg | 25+ |
| ≥1449 mg/kg | 28+ |