UMF Certification

iManuka are members of the UMFHA, and their Four Factor Quality Assurance Test guarantees our clients peace of mind by ensuring that every manuka product they purchase from iManuka has been independently certified, and meets specific criteria. But what is UMF, and what does the Unique Manuka Factor UMFM- Quality Certification mean for you, the consumer?

In the 1980’s and 90’s a group of beekeepers along with Dr. Molen undertook extensive research and found that Antibacterial Activity in New Zealand Manuka, could be demonstrated in the laboratory using Agar Well Diffusion. This led to the removal of Hydrogen Peroxide, a common compound found in honey that is known to be Antibacterial. From here, it was found that Manuka still had antibacterial attributes even after the peroxide was removed.

This was named Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) as at this point the reason for this activity was not known. The hunt was on however and in 2007 it was found at Dresden Technical University in Germany by a team of postgraduate students led by Professor Thomas Henle. The compound Methylglyoxal was named as the predominant reason for this unique attribute of Manuka.

This was presented to the Apiculture industry in 2008 by our very own Honey Master Richard Hopkins, at the industry conference. From this point the science exploded and continues to this day.

The UMF quality trademark was introduced by the UMFHA in 1988 alongside the Ministry of Food and beekeepers. The UMF designation lets consumers know the manuka honey has its origin 100% in New Zealand, and that the product has been laboratory tested for potency, authenticity, shelf life, and freshness, and is guaranteed to contain specific natural markers and compounds.

Need help identifying Genuine UMF® Manuka Honey?

Follow these steps to check whether your Manuka Honey is the real deal!

1. Look for the quality UMF® trademark clearly stated on the front label
2. Check that the honey is manufactured, packed, and labelled in New Zealand
3. Check the honey is produced by a New Zealand company that is licensed to use the UMF® trademark. You can find a list of licensed members here.
4. Look for the UMF® licensee’s brand name and license number – these should be on the label
5. Finally, alongside the UMF® logo, there must be a rating number such as 5+ or 15+.

You may have also seen another type of grading-MGO.

MGO represents methylglyoxal. The specific form is called dietary Methylglyoxal and forms naturally in the honey. It is measured in the laboratory using UHPLC (ultra high performance liquid chromatography). MGO has an equivalent UMF number (Shown below) but it does not include the other components used under UMF certification so does not represent origin, shelf life, or quality. Instead, it is a direct measure of the amount of the naturally occurring compound found to be predominantly causing the Unique Manuka Attributes.

iManuka believes in producing only the very highest caliber Manuka, and that’s why all our manuka products use the gold standard grading of the UMF to ensure our products meet the highest standards for Manuka Honey available. The compounds in UMF certified honey, can’t be found anywhere but in New Zealand Manuka, which is why it is so special, and one of our nation’s taonga’s (treasures). We hope you enjoy this remarkable honey as much as we do.

UMF Certification