Before purchasing manuka honey

Manuka Honey is becoming increasingly popular in the U.S. and the number of suppliers has been growing steadily. In general, the approach followed by most retailers is to import low- to medium-quality manukas and to invest heavily in advertising without elaborating on the various levels of activity and qualities found in manukas. In order to avoid buying a substandard product supported more by marketing than quality, we recommend the following steps prior to buying manuka honey in the U.S.:

1. If the supplier claims to import the honey in bulk and package in the U.S., careful attention must be paid to provenance. Can the supplier provide a certificate of authenticity, including lot number and expiration date? Please note that certified manuka honeys can only be packaged in New Zealand.

2. If the honey is not certified, it is appropriate to request a copy of the results of the activity assay conducted. Honeys labeled only as "active" are not likely to be pure manuka honeys.