Mānuka's Superpowers

What To Look For When Buying Manuka Honey

Michael Bell

Published at: March 8, 2023
Updated at: February 27, 2025

12 minutes

Concise comparison table for genuine Manuka honey vs. counterfeit honey:

Feature	Genuine Manuka Honey	Counterfeit Manuka Honey
Origin	New Zealand	May not be from New Zealand
Source	Mānuka tea tree nectar	Often diluted with syrups
Markers	MGO, Leptosperin, DHA, HMF	May lack these markers
Testing	MPI-approved	Often lacks proper testing
Certifications	MGO ratings	Often uncertified
Labeling	Includes MGO rating, QR code	May lack details
Transparency	Clear and reliable information	Vague or misleading
Brand	Established brands	Lesser-known or unknown brands

Executive Summary:

When buying Manuka honey, look for its MGO rating, whether it is free of GMOs and pesticide sprays, and if it is ethically produced.

The highest quality Mānuka honey will be dark in color and rich in flavor. Its earthy taste should emulate a sticky, delicious caramel, unlike any other type of honey.

Each batch of Manukora Manuka honey includes a unique QR code with information about your honey, including its harvest location, MGO levels, and even the beekeeper behind the suit.

What Should You Look for When Buying Manuka Honey?

Purchasing anything new can seem daunting—you want to ensure you’re getting your money's worth, and if it’s something new to you, you’re probably not an expert when it comes to spotting the best from the rest.

This can be especially true for Mānuka honey products. Not all Manuka is created equal, so it’s important to know a few things before purchasing your first jar of this Honey With Superpowers™.

As you may already be well-aware, Manuka honey is renowned for its unique nutrients, which support overall wellness in various ways. Yet, if you’re not buying the correct type of Manuka honey, it may not have all of the naturally occurring nutrients you were hoping for. So, let’s talk best practices for how to make sure you’re getting authentic Manuka honey every time!

What Makes Manuka Different?

With Manuka honey increasingly gaining recognition in the health and nutrition world, you may wonder what makes Manuka different from store-bought honey.

At a high level, genuine Manuka honey is raw honey from New Zealand that has high levels of Methylglyoxal (MGO), a naturally occurring nutrient found only in Manuka nectar that supports immune health.

Our bees love the sweet juices from these blossoms, which makes the distinct flavor and texture of this nectar unique to Manuka honey.

What Should I Look for in Manuka Honey?

As we said, not all Manuka is created equal; there are different grades of Manuka and various MGO ratings. To know you’re getting genuine, high-quality Manuka honey, here’s what you should look for.

MGO Rating

All authentic Manuka honey will have an MGO rating on its packaging; this number is arguably the most important variable for understanding your Mānuka honey quality.

The MGO rating signifies the level of Methylglyoxal in the honey. MGO is one of the key bioactive compounds from the nectar of the Mānuka tea tree. Other key bioactive nutrients such as Leptosperin also rise in line with MGO. Thus, the higher the MGO rating, the stronger the honey’s unique taste and beneficial properties will be.

Authentic Manuka will also include DHA and other markers determined by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).

You can also look for the UMF honey certification. The UMF certification is directly related to the MGO levels in the Mānuka and also tests for other compounds mentioned above such as DHA and Leptosperin.

At Manukora, we decided to grade our honey using MGO instead of UMF to provide the most clarity for our customers. All of the other compounds that are tested in the UMF system are also tested by us and available on our QR trace system found on every jar.

Does All Raw Honey Have MGO?

Most people are under the impression their honey will have beneficial properties whether it's Manuka or not; however, that’s not quite the case.

All high-quality honey has some beneficial properties due to naturally produced hydrogen peroxide; however, Manuka honey contains unique nutrients, including MGO, which is not found in any other honeys.

The MGO comes straight from the highly active nectar of the Manuka flower, which is only found in remote areas of New Zealand.

Most honey you’ll buy at the store is generally processed and pasteurized, which can affect the honey's concentration of nutrients.

What about raw local honey? Well, while raw honey in and of itself can be good for you, the raw honey at your local farmer’s market likely isn’t Manuka honey, and only Manuka honey offers MGO.

Certified Glyphosate Residue-Free

Glyphosate is a herbicide and crop desiccant sprayed on plants to kill unwanted weeds and other plant growth. Treating certain areas with glyphosate prevents the growth of natural or native weeds and plants.

Our Manuka forests are extremely precious to us; we ensure there are no sprays anywhere near them, i.e., glyphosate residue-free. In addition to this, we test every single batch we produce for glyphosate residue and make those third-party tests available on our QR trace technology for peace of mind.

At Manukora, we believe there’s no need for herbicide intervention when the honey bees work in their natural environment.

Third-Party Tested

Each Manukora Manuka honey product is sent to an independent third-party lab to undergo rigorous testing. These tests verify the MGO levels of the Manuka honey while ensuring all other necessary compounds are accounted for. Additionally, these tests are how we can double-check that there are no contaminants, like the pesticide we just talked about above.

To ensure your Manuka is authentic, it should have independent lab results proving its levels of beneficial nutrients unique to Manuka.

Traceable

Each batch of Manukora Manuka honey is curated with immense care. You can see for yourself when you scan the QR code provided on each of our products. This unique code contains information about your honey—its harvest location, MGO levels, and even the beekeeper behind the suit.

We want you to feel confident in what you put in your body and integrate into your daily routine, so we don’t gatekeep any part of our process.

When beekeeping is done right, you want everyone to see the powers of Mother Nature, and what a healthy, non-disrupted environment can accomplish.

"Choose from established brands that have a track record of authenticity and aren’t afraid to share the story behind their product."

Ethically Produced

Bees play key roles in the entire ecosystem. Even if you’re not a beekeeper, there are ways you can help protect the lives of Earth’s bees, and one of those ways is buying ethically produced honey.

Look for companies that are advocates for ethical beekeeping practices. For example, a few of the things we do to practice ethical beekeeping include leaving enough honey for the bees to enjoy through winter when they take a break from making honey, and ensuring we’re not unnecessarily moving the hives and causing extra stress.

Taste and Texture

While ensuring purity and quality are of high importance when evaluating Manuka honey, it is also very important to consider taste and texture. One of the joys of top-quality Manuka is the delicious experience.

The highest quality Manuka honey will be dark in color and rich in flavor. Its thick and creamy consistency will leave you wanting it by the spoonful. Its earthy taste should emulate a sticky, delicious caramel, unlike any other type of honey.

While the MGO rating affects the levels of bioactive compounds, it also plays a significant role in the honey's taste and texture. Higher-rated Manuka honey offers a richer taste and a thicker, creamier texture.

Anything above an MGO 600+ rating provides uniquely distinct flavors, along with nutrients that support your general wellness, immune system, and digestive health.

Our ethical beekeeping practices allow us to delicately harvest and pack the honey to ensure a raw, creamy caramel taste that our customers absolutely love.

You can check out our breakdown on what Manuka tastes like here!

Non-GMO Verified

All Manukora Manuka honey is non-GMO verified. To keep our honey-making process top-notch, our bees and forests remain our top priority.

We work with Mother Nature, not against her. We don’t believe in quick fixes or implementing unnatural and unethical practices to increase our honey production or efficiency. The bees and trees work at their own pace—as nature intends.

Before purchasing your first batch of Manuka honey, ensure it's non-GMO verified; even if it’s a little trickier to find, it’s undoubtedly worth it—and we bet the bees would agree.

You can check out this article to learn more about Project Non-GMO.

Identifying Counterfeit Mānuka Honey

Counterfeit Manuka honey can take on several forms. However, a knockoff product typically includes a trace of real Manuka honey and is then diluted with corn or rice syrup to increase the amount and sell more in bulk. Fortunately, you can identify fake Mānuka honey by being vigilant and knowing what to look for.

Any Manuka honey exported from New Zealand must be tested by a facility approved by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). If there is no record of this testing available or mentioned anywhere on the product label, you may be dealing with a counterfeit honey.

Other red flags include:

The label does not include an MGO rating or metric for determining the quality.
There is no mention of the product being from New Zealand.
The product does not have an approval from the New Zealand government.
You don’t recognize the brand and cannot find reliable information about them through research.

With the prevalence of fake Manuka honey, you have to be more careful as a buyer to ensure that you choose a genuine product.

Guidelines for Buying Genuine Manuka Honey

With the growing problem of imposter products, there are now more systems in place to help you spot authentic Manuka honey. So, here are a few important steps you can take to ensure you're buying genuine Manuka honey:

1. Identify the Origin

Since real Manuka honey only comes from New Zealand, a great first step is to make sure that you only buy honey that originated in New Zealand. Brands that produce authentic Manuka honey will be completely transparent about where their product originated.

For instance, every jar at Manukora comes with a traceable QR code, offering information about where the honey was produced, the MGO level, and even the beekeeper who harvested your batch.

Check the label and look for the words “Made in New Zealand” or “Product of New Zealand” to ensure it is genuine.

2. Check for Testing

Testing ensures that Manuka honey is authentic and contains the unique bioactive nutrients found in genuine Manuka honey. This testing will determine whether a batch of Manuka honey has specific chemical markers, like Leptosperin, MGO, DHA, and HMF. The presence of these chemical markers can confirm the authenticity and quality of the honey.

You should be able to find these test results through the label or the company website. It’s essential that any testing is conducted by an independent third party so you know that the results are reliable.

3. Look for Approval from the MPI

The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) is the governing body in New Zealand that oversees the sale of Manuka honey. Any Manuka honey sold for export must be tested by an MPI-approved facility and meet stringent requirements to be deemed authentic.

MPI standards ensure the authenticity of Manuka honey by verifying that it contains four chemicals from the Manuka nectar and a DNA marker from Manuka pollen. You should find verification of this approval on the label of an authentic product.

4. Choose from Trusted Brands

To ensure that you receive a quality, genuine product, choose from established brands that have a track record of authenticity and aren’t afraid to share the story behind their product. You can trust a brand has a quality product if they lay out all the crucial details about their honey.

A quick dive into a brand should be able to answer the following questions:

What practices do they follow to produce their honey?
Is the honey approved by the MPI?
What testing has their honey undergone?
Do they have a reputation of happy customers?

If you can find answers to all these questions, you can confirm the authenticity of this honey and be on your way to enjoying a delicious and healthy melt-in-your-mouth treat.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to what you should look for when buying Manuka honey, the answer ultimately comes down to authenticity.

To experience the richness of authentic Manuka honey, exploring Manukora's trending products is a great start. We now offer new starter kits for our three main grades, which are the perfect introduction to Manuka honey:

These starter kits are designed to help you explore the unique taste and benefits of high-quality Manuka honey.

Authentic Manuka honey is unique in the flavor and nutrients it contains. The highest quality authentic Mānuka will be produced ethically and sustainably, because happy bees make for the most delicious honey.

Let Manukora make the search effortless—explore our authentic, MGO-rated, ethically and sustainably produced New Zealand Manuka honey here.

FAQs

What is the significance of the MGO rating when buying Mānuka honey?

The MGO rating on Manuka honey represents the level of Methylglyoxal, a key bioactive compound unique to Manuka honey. Higher MGO ratings indicate stronger levels of unique nutrients and a richer, unique taste.

Why is non-GMO and pesticide-free certification important for Mānuka honey?

Non-GMO and pesticide-free certifications ensure that the honey is produced in a natural environment without genetic modifications or harmful chemical sprays, thus preserving the natural qualities and health benefits of Manuka honey.

How can I verify the authenticity and quality of Manuka honey?

Authentic Manuka honey should have a traceability system, like a QR code, which provides information about its harvest location, MGO levels, and beekeeper details. Additionally, independent third-party lab tests should confirm the MGO levels and absence of contaminants.

What makes Manuka honey different from regular store-bought honey?

Manuka honey, specifically from New Zealand, contains high levels of Methylglyoxal (MGO) and other unique compounds like Leptosperin and DHA, giving it distinctive properties and a unique flavor profile compared to regular honey.

Why is ethically produced Mānuka honey important?

Ethical production ensures the sustainability of bee populations and their natural habitats. Practices like leaving enough honey for bees during winter and minimizing hive stress contribute to the production of high-quality honey and the overall health of the ecosystem.