Most honey on US shelves has an MGO of zero. Here's what that number actually means.
If you've ever stood in the honey aisle wondering whether 50+, 200+, or 850+ MGO actually matters - here's what to know before your next jar.
Monday, June 24
by Krista Budgen
by Krista Budgen
Wednesday, May 7
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Trusted by 20,000+ customers
Most "honey" on US shelves has an MGO of zero.
*Based on general honey processing research and industry analysis. Standard supermarket honey is not Mānuka and does not naturally contain MGO.
Regular supermarket honey is often heat-processed, pasteurized, and in some cases blended with rice or corn syrup. The MGO - methylglyoxal, the naturally occurring compound that makes Mānuka different - barely registers, if at all. That's because MGO doesn't form in clover, alfalfa, or wildflower honey. It's unique to one place on earth: the Mānuka tree, native to New Zealand.
This is where Mānuka starts to look less like honey and more like a category of its own. Real, high-grade Mānuka comes strictly from New Zealand, is independently lab-tested, and arrives with a number on the jar that tells you exactly how much MGO is inside. The higher the number, the rarer the honey.
MGO 850+ is our hero grade — smooth, creamy caramel, rich in antioxidants, and one of the highest-grade Mānuka honeys you can buy in the US.
For context: MGO 50+ is the entry-level grade - what you might find on a supermarket shelf if you're lucky. MGO 200+ is more potent. MGO 600+ is daily-immune territory. MGO 850+ is the grade people reach for when they want focused daily support. MGO 1000+ exists for specific, intensive use cases. For everyday support, 850+ is the grade to know.
Every batch of Manukora MGO 850+ is third-party tested in independent New Zealand labs to verify its MGO concentration. Every jar carries a QR code that traces back to the beekeeper who harvested it, the region of NZ it came from, and the lab results that prove the number on the label is real.
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Save 31% + $25 in free gifts on the MGO 850+ Starter Kit (the #1 high-grade Mānuka honey in the US).
5 honey sticks, wooden dose spoon, Mānuka guidebook, and a personal onboarding call with a Mānuka specialist — included free with your first order.
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What MGO actually is - and why the number matters.
MGO stands for methylglyoxal. It's a naturally occurring compound that forms in the nectar of the Mānuka tree's flowers and gets transferred into the honey by the bees. It's been studied for decades, and it's one of the reasons Mānuka has been valued traditionally as part of an overall wellness routine.
The higher the MGO number, the higher the concentration of beneficial bioactives like leptosperin - an antioxidant that's unique to Mānuka.
A jar at MGO 50+ contains a small amount of these naturally occurring compounds. A jar at MGO 850+ contains roughly 17x more (based on labeled minimums). That's not a marketing claim - that's chemistry. And it's why the price per jar climbs as the grade goes up.
Gut
Naturally occurring prebiotic oligosaccharides that supports a balanced gut microbiome.
Immunity
Rich in leptosperin and other antioxidants that help maintain the body's natural defenses.
Steady Energy
Lower glycemic index than refined sugar - a clean source of glucose that supports steady energy.
Real Mānuka isn't made — it's earned.
Manukora is raw, single-source, never blended. It's harvested by hand from remote Mānuka forests across New Zealand by beekeepers we know by name. Every jar is glyphosate residue-free, Non-GMO, and B-Corp Certified. And every batch is creamed slowly using our signature technique to preserve the smooth, caramel texture our customers describe as "liquid gold."
Once you understand what the number means, the choice gets simpler. Higher MGO = more naturally occurring bioactives = more of what makes Mānuka, Mānuka. MGO 850+ is the grade to know for a reason: the potency is high enough that most people feel the difference within a few weeks, and the smooth caramel texture makes it easy to take daily.
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