WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UMF, ACTIVE + & GMO?
These are the three main ways of determining the activity levels of Manuka Honey. All active Manuka honey is tested and we believe that, providing the honey is from a reputable source, the actual method of testing should be irrelevant.
UMF is NOT a certificate of efficacy, but is in fact a registered trade mark belonging to a New Zealand trade organisation. This means that most UMF and Active + honeys are tested in exactly the same way. The actual test is for NPA (non peroxide activity). The result is that without buying into the “Brand” and packing the product in New Zealand, you cannot use the UMF mark. Most European, and even a large number of New Zealand companies, choose not to join these trading groups, instead preferring to pass on the cost-saving to our customers. Here at the Littleover Apiary, we carry out all of our final quality control testing in our on-site laboratory and packing plant here in the UK, safeguarding British jobs.
Our Manuka Honey is produced in New Zealand as this is the only place in the world where genuine Manuka Honey can be produced (despite some recent spurious claims by some of the UK media). Littleover Apiary Manuka Honey is available as 5+, 10+, or 15+ plus activity.
Our Manuka is also tested to internationally recognised standards, which is necessary to determine its medicinal value and its NPA with its unique antibacterial and antibiotic qualities.