The mānuka honey category is growing rapidly in the USA in 2022.  Brands from New Zealand, the home of mānuka, are proliferating.  Now it is more important than ever that importers,

The UMF™ 4 Factor Quality & Rating Test

distributors, retailers, and consumers are able to easily identify companies that can be relied on to deliver quality and performance.

New Zealand beekeepers first began investigating the possible health benefits of mānuka honey, the world’s most complex honey, nearly 25 years ago.  Since then, working with pioneering scientists including Peter Molan of Waikato University and Terry Braggins research has identified the special care required to consistently deliver global consumers the optimal mānuka experience.

With New Zealand brands so strongly committed to sustaining the quality and performance of their mānuka honey, an independent organisation, UMFHA, to monitor both the care taken with and potency of the product has added an exceptional layer of accountability and transparency to mānuka honey exports from New Zealand.

The Unique Mānuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA) is the leading organisation that represents the unique mānuka position of the New Zealand honey industry. It has driven the research and quality standards around mānuka honey since its foundation. Working with nearly 170 license holders, the UMFHA has played a critical role in defining quality parameters that ensure purchasers around the world can be confident the mānuka honey they purchase is pure, authentic, potent, and maintains quality and efficacy over the shelf life of the product.

The UMF™ Quality Mark on retail product identifies the honey is produced within a quality system that incorporates harvesting, processing, packaging, and storage protocols. UMFHA has established a global quality network of laboratories that can verify product in-market.

The UMF Rating is a four-factor test that measures what matters for mānuka honey quality. It identifies whether the product is genuinely from New Zealand, whether it meets the labelled potency measures, that it has been stored and processed correctly, and will maintain the stated shelf life.

UMFHA reports “This is the only true independent mānuka honey quality assurance system available.  It is being adopted by more and more brands in response to consumer demand for greater transparency and trust from natural health product brands.”

What does it all mean?

To be confident you are purchasing mānuka honey that will meet your customers’ expectations, look for the only mark that demonstrates it has been treated with the necessary care to achieve the UMF™ certification and rating.

The UMFHA is talking to USA distributors and retailers about how we can help their customers easily identify the UMF™ quality mark and rating and purchase with confidence.  To join the movement to educate your customers visit our virtual booth at the Natural Products Expo West or contact UMFHA Marketing Manager Campbell Naish at campbell@umf.org.nz.