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UMF Manuka Honey

		New Zealand is famous for its antipodean location, cultural diversity, rugby prowess…and more recently, it’s unique Manuka honey. Bees source this prized honey from the highly scented native Manuka tree, making Manuka honey exclusive to New Zealand. Manuka honey defines a remarkable industry in New Zealand and has earned the worldwide reputation it has attained. So what makes Manuka honey so special?
		NZ Health Naturally proudly holds a licence to guarantee that our UMF® Manuka honeys are certified, totally natural, and are guaranteed to have the special UMF® antibacterial property to the level indicated on the label.

New Zealand beekeepers and locals alike have always known that some Manuka honeys were good for healing wounds and for upset stomachs, but they needed scientific evidence to get the rest of the world to take note. This is where Professor Peter Molan of New Zealand’s University of Waikato stepped in. Peter Molan is the scientist who can be credited with devising a testing method to prove its actions, and then singing the scientific praises of Manuka honey to the world. He developed a reliable test that is able to identify the different activity levels in honey. He noted that while most honey tested positive for hydrogen peroxide activity, some Manuka was high in non peroxide activity. This was the honey that was special for its anti bacterial properties. But even within this group, the level of activity varied. Further tests revealed that the higher the non-hydrogen peroxide activity, the more powerful the honey.

Molan coined this special level of anti bacterial activity, the ‘Unique Manuka Factor’ (UMF®), and this referencing is now consistently used to indicate the honey’s unique antibacterial activity and levels. The acronym “UMF®” is followed by a number that indicates the strength of the UMF® antibacterial property in a batch, for example, UMF® 10+. This number comes from a standard laboratory test for antibacterial activity, with the honey being compared to the medical antiseptic, phenol, for potency. Therefore, the activity rating of a UMF 10+ honey would be equivalent in antiseptic potency to a 10% solution of phenol.

But what happens if the honey hasn’t been tested? Can it still claim this unique activity or are honey lovers at risk of having the wool pulled over their eyes?

Genuine New Zealand Manuka producers wanted to make sure that their honey was protected. They saw early on that the product would be open to abuse and needed some way of guaranteeing authenticity and accurate potency levels. This led to the formation of the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA) formally known as the Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) and the UMF® title became its unique property. UMFHA members test their honey using Peter Molan’s method for determining anti-bacterial activity and UMF® honey has to be packed and labelled in New Zealand. Only those honey producers in New Zealand who are involved in the production, packaging, and marketing of active Manuka honey are allowed to become members of UMFHA. No one outside of the country is entitled to a license.

NZ Health Naturally proudly holds a licence to guarantee that our UMF® Manuka honeys are certified, totally natural, and are guaranteed to have the special UMF® antibacterial property to the level indicated on the label.

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UMF Manuka Honey