FAQ
Direct answers to the questions readers ask before buying. No marketing, no hedging. If we are not sure, we say so.
The grade is a label and price decision, and no grade is officially recommended for any purpose. UMF 10 to UMF 15 (MGO 263 to MGO 514) is the most widely stocked band. Price per jar climbs steeply above UMF 15, so run the numbers per gram of MGO before assuming a higher grade is better value.
Full UMF guide →On the label, yes. UMF 10 requires roughly 4 times the methylglyoxal of UMF 5 (MGO 263 vs MGO 83), and that difference is what you pay for. UMF 5 sits at the bottom of the certified range, priced closest to high-quality table honey.
Run any jar through the price-per-MGO calculator. The cheapest jar by sticker price is rarely the cheapest by gram of methylglyoxal. As a rule of thumb, UMF 15 from a direct-to-consumer brand often beats UMF 20 from a retail-marked-up jar on cost-per-gram of MGO.
Price-per-MGO calculator →Look for a UMF logo with a license number you can verify on umf.org.nz, or an MGO rating from a brand with a documented testing partner. If the label says only "Active 12+" or "Premium" with no UMF or MGO number, treat it as suspect. Real manuka comes from New Zealand or, in small volumes, Australia.
How to spot counterfeit honey →A small amount of authentic manuka comes from Australia, where Leptospermum species also grow. New Zealand defends the trademark internationally, so jars labelled manuka are legally required to come from a Leptospermum source. Anything labelled manuka from outside New Zealand or Australia should be treated with scepticism.
KFactor is Wedderspoon's in-house grade. It measures pollen content, not methylglyoxal. KFactor 16 is not equivalent to UMF 16 or MGO 263. KFactor honey can be authentic manuka, but the number tells you nothing about MGO content.
Certifications explained →No official intake guidance exists. Manuka honey is regulated and sold as a food, not a medicine, so no authority publishes a recommended daily amount for any purpose. The practical constraint is that it is roughly 80% sugar by weight, the same as other honey.
You can, but heat above roughly 40°C degrades the methylglyoxal and burns off the floral notes. If you paid for a high MGO label, heating the honey works against exactly the number you paid for, so many buyers use a cheaper honey for cooking and keep manuka for cold uses.
Honey does not spoil at typical room temperature. The MGO content actually rises for the first 12 to 24 months as DHA converts to MGO, then plateaus. After about 5 years, HMF rises and the honey loses potency. Store sealed at room temperature, away from sunlight.
No. Refrigeration encourages crystallisation and slows the DHA-to-MGO conversion. Keep the jar at room temperature with the lid sealed.
Crystallisation is natural and does not affect quality. Warm the jar gently in a water bath at 35 to 40°C until the crystals dissolve. Avoid microwaves and boiling water, both degrade MGO.
Why honey crystallises →No. Food-safety authorities warn against giving any honey, including manuka, to babies under 12 months because it may contain Clostridium botulinum spores that can cause infant botulism. The MGO content does not change this risk.
These are questions for a professional, not a honey website. This site covers labels, certification, and prices; it does not give medical or veterinary advice. Ask a veterinarian about pets, a midwife or doctor about pregnancy, and an allergist about known pollen or bee venom allergies.
It is different on one measurable dimension: manuka can contain over 100 times the methylglyoxal of regular honey, which is what the UMF and MGO grades measure. For taste, sweetness, and general nutrition, regular honey is comparable at a tenth of the price. Whether the gap is worth paying for is your call, and the label numbers are the only objective input.
Manuka vs regular honey →No. Raw means unheated and unfiltered. Manuka means produced from Leptospermum scoparium nectar. Most premium manuka is also raw, but raw honey from clover or wildflower is not manuka.
Neither is graded on methylglyoxal, so there is no equivalent of the UMF or MGO label to compare against. Manuka is the most studied honey in laboratory research and the only one with an industry-wide certification system behind its numbers.