28 August 2017
NZ Manuka Honey Standards Must Meet Consumer True to Label Expectations
Consumers expect that when they buy a jar of honey labelled as manuka then the honey inside should be true to the label,
and like the international CODEX standard advocates, derived wholly or mainly from manuka plants, according to a recent
consumer survey commissioned by leading supplier and exporter, Airborne Honey.
The 1,253 shoppers surveyed earlier this year across 58 tastings at 43 New Zealand supermarkets were also asked what
quantity of manuka honey should be in a jar of blended manuka honey - 68 % said they would expect that at least 50 % of
the contents should come from manuka, 80% of respondents thought it should be at least 40% and 90% said greater than
30%.
Managing Director, Peter Bray said customers in key export markets, stung by counterfeit honeys and mislabelling, have
voiced their strong expectation that manuka honey from New Zealand should adhere to CODEX standards which they recognise
as the authentication benchmark.
The Codex Alimentarius states that "honey may be designated according to floral or plant source if it comes wholly
(meaning almost entirely) or mainly (meaning predominantly) from that particular source and has the organoleptic,
physicochemical and microscopic properties corresponding with that origin”.
“It’s pretty clear that if consumers expect more than 30% of a blended honey to come from the plant source on the label
then for a monofloral honey like manuka they expect a lot more. The lowest possible interpretation of the Codex standard
is 50% (mainly) and the EU requirement is for the content to be "almost entirely" i.e. close to 100% from the plant
source,” Mr Bray said.
“The manuka honey standard the government is working on to identify the unique manuka identifiers, and the UMF Honey
Association definition, fail to address consumer expectations or CODEX requirement that the honey be wholly or mainly
from manuka,” Mr Bray said. “The UMF acronym stands for Unique Manuka Factor which is based on the compound
Methylglyoxal (MG). MG was believed to be unique to Manuka and promoted as having therapeutic properties. Methylglyoxal
is not unique to Manuka Honey and does not deliver a therapeutic benefit when ingested.”
Airborne which has built a reputation over 107 years for supplying honest, undamaged and traceable honey, adheres to
CODEX standards to deliver quality honey that meets the market expectations for being true to label and is advocating
for New Zealand to adopt the proven quality assurance verification system.
“We want to lead the world in quality, integrity and championing the rights of the consumer so that we can grow our
export markets for this highly sought after premium food product. We’ve got the opportunity to implement a manuka honey
standard that is worthy of trust and the loyalty of the legions of consumers and customers who are converts to New
Zealand manuka honey. Let’s give them the real deal.”
ends