Mānuka Honey Labels That Mean Nothing: Red Flags to Watch For
Short answer: Label words such as Active, Bioactive, Premium or Pure with no grade number tell you nothing measurable about mānuka honey. Watch for blends with other honeys, a number with no MGO or UMF beside it, no country of packing, and no named laboratory. A trustworthy label states a grade, Product of New Zealand, and a batch you can trace.
Most misleading mānuka labels are not false. They are vague. The words are chosen to sound like a grade without being one, which means there is nothing to check and nothing to disprove.
Words with no number
Active, Bioactive, Premium, Pure, Raw, Natural. Any of these can sit beside a genuine grade, but on their own they are not a grading system. If the only claim on a jar is an adjective, the jar has made no claim you can verify.
A number with no system
“15+” or “20+” on its own is not a standard grade. MGO numbers are milligrams per kilogram; UMF numbers are a licensed scale; other brands use their own scales. A number means something only when the label says which system it belongs to. Our guide to MGO, UMF and other grading systems explains the differences.
Blends
“Manuka Blend”, “Manuka & Wildflower” and “with Manuka” describe honey mixed with other honeys. They can be pleasant to eat, but the mānuka share is rarely stated and the grade, if any, describes the mix rather than a mānuka harvest.
No country of packing
“Product of New Zealand” and “Packed in New Zealand” are worth looking for. Labels that name a distributor in another country but no New Zealand packer can mean the honey was shipped in bulk and repacked, outside the system that tested it.
No laboratory, no batch
A grade printed with no laboratory and no batch code asks you to trust the producer’s word. The better labels name the testing laboratory and print a batch code you can look up.
What a clear label looks like
- A specific grade with its system: MGO 700+
- Product of New Zealand, packed in New Zealand
- The exporter or producer identified
- A named laboratory
- A batch code that resolves to a test result
Every Genesis Honey Co jar carries all five. Enter the code on the trace page to see the record for your jar.
Questions
What does Active mānuka honey mean?
Nothing you can check. Without an MGO or UMF number, Active is a marketing word, not a grade.
Is Manuka Blend honey real mānuka?
It may contain some mānuka, but it is mixed with other honeys. The label should say what share is mānuka; if it does not, assume very little.
What does a plain number like 15+ mean on mānuka honey?
Without MGO or UMF beside it, nothing standard. Ask which system the number belongs to and which laboratory measured it.