Manuka Honey FAQ

Manuka honey, made from the nectar of New Zealand’s native Mānuka bush, stands out for its unique antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Used traditionally by Māori communities and later studied by scientists, its powerful effects are largely credited to a compound called MGO. Research suggests Manuka honey may support immune, gut, and oral health, and even combat resistant bacteria like MRSA. With strict testing requirements in New Zealand, consumers can trust the purity and potency of genuine Manuka honey.

Mānuka’s history as a medicinal plant
Manuka Honey is a natural honey made by bees who collect nectar from the Mānuka bush, a wild shrub which grows widely across New Zealand but flowers for only a few weeks a year. The honey has antibacterial and antioxidant properties which have been linked with a range of wellbeing benefits.

Parts of the Mānuka bush were used for centuries by New Zealand’s native Maori as a herbal medicine to treat conditions like fevers and dandruff. While honey has been used widely since ancient times to help wounds heal, it was not until European settlers introduced the European honey bee in the first half of the 19th century that both Maori and settlers started using the honey to help with skin and stomach complaints.

 What does the science say about honey?
All honey has some antibiotic properties which scientists believe are due to the fact it is slightly acidic and contains the naturally-occurring chemical hydrogen peroxide.
But Manuka Honey is different because its antimicrobial properties come from non-peroxide activity. Research shows this activity, which is unique to Manuka Honey, has "significant antibacterial effects".

Scientists discovered Manuka Honey’s antibiotic properties are caused by a natural compound called methylglyoxal (MGO) which develops within the honey. The higher the honey’s MGO content, the more potent its antibiotic properties.
Merilyn Manley-Harris, associate professor of organic and analytical chemistry at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, says: “MGO is an antibacterial agent and research shows it is very difficult for bacteria to develop immunity to it because it has multiple methods of action.
“The slightly bitter taste of Manuka Honey is because it’s also quite high in phenolic acids, which are antioxidants.”
Manuka honey is a superfood with delicious wellbeeing®️ benefits.
Remember: The Doctor Is In. Every Jar.
Manuka Doctor honey is ONE POT with THREE BENEFITS: Strengthens Immunity + Improves Digestion + Boosts Energy

MGO stands for Methylglyoxal, a naturally occurring active element in Manuka Honey which scientists generally concur is linked to its anti-microbial effect.
Because MGO is a naturally occurring compound it's true it can be affected by things like heat, but also soil type, moisture, or the location of the manuka bush where it was harvested.
That's why we test the MGO level in New Zealand where our honey is harvested and packed, before we label them and send to you to enjoy.
This means that we can be sure that the MGO level on the label is the same as the honey inside.is the same as the honey inside.

We take pride in offering two exceptional grades of Manuka honey: MGO and UMF.
Manuka Doctor UMF Licence No: 1026.
Our UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) range sets the standard for excellence in the world of Manuka honey. Renowned for purity and potency, UMF-grade honey undergoes rigorous testing and certification to ensure it meets the strict standards set by the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA). This certification guarantees that our UMF honey contains the unique compounds and attributes that make Manuka honey so highly sought after worldwide. The UMF trademark is a mark of authenticity and quality, providing consumers with confidence in every jar.
What sets UMF-grade honey apart is its comprehensive extra testing system that considers not only the presence of beneficial compounds like Methylglyoxal (MGO) but also other unique markers indicative of genuine Manuka honey quality. These additional markers include Leptosperin and DHA (Dihydroxyacetone), which are specific to the nectar of the Manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium).
Our MGO-grade honey is the same premium quality product from our own beehives, which uses solely the MGO grading system to measure the presence of Methylglyoxal, a key naturally occurring compound in Manuka honey known for its antibacterial properties. Our MGO-grade honey provides a reliable choice for customers seeking the unique benefits of Manuka honey at a more accessible price point.

All of our Manuka Doctor Manuka Honey is 100% New Zealand Honey. All of our Manuka Doctor Manuka Honey is tested in New Zealand and certified by the New Zealand government as New Zealand Manuka Honey. Our Manuka Honey is packed in New Zealand before being shipped around the world.

Real Manuka honey contains high levels of a natural compound called Methylglyoxal (or MGO). MGO has anti-bacterial properties, which means it can kill bad bugs and bacteria. Manuka Doctor’s honey displays the activity rating on the front of every pot. The higher the number, the higher the activity and natural wellbeeing®️ benefits.

Manuka honey is one of the most famous superfoods in the world. Well researched and independently certified. To see if it could work for you, why not read some of our 50,000 verified reviews from Manuka Doctor customers.

Crystallisation is a completely natural process and a sign that your honey is R.A.W and unprocessed - just as it should be.
Manuka honey can begin to crystallise or set over time, especially if it's stored in cooler temperatures. This happens when the natural sugars in the honey start to form crystals. It’s a normal characteristic of real honey and doesn’t affect the quality, strength, or health benefits.
If you prefer it runnier, simply place the jar in a bowl of warm water and stir gently. This will soften the honey without harming its natural goodness.
At Manuka Doctor, we don’t add anything or take anything away - so you get 100% Genuine New Zealand Manuka honey, just as nature intended.

YES. In fact, Manuka Doctor was the 1st honey company globally to carry the “R.A.W.” Certification mark for all of its honey-based products.
With rising interest in clean eating, many consumers wonder whether Manuka honey is truly “raw.” While the term lacks regulation in the honey world, Manuka Doctor took steps to meet a clear, credible standard. The result? Manuka Doctor became the first honey brand globally to earn the Certified R.A.W. mark from the International Clean Food Certification. This ensures the honey is minimally processed, safe, bioavailable, and free from GMOs. Naturally filtered and creamed for quality and consistency, it delivers purity and performance in every jar.

Multifloral – Daily Use

Multifloral Mānuka means bees visited the Manuka bush as well as other floral sources near to the hive to produce the honey. To be classified as Multifloral, the honey must contain ‘wholly or mainly’ Mānuka nectar above any other source plus meet four naturally occurring markers and a pollen test.
Stock up and enjoy a spoonful everyday to enhance your wellness routine. Great for a natural alternative to refined table sugar in recipes, add to smoothies and breakfast meals as a great way to start the day right.
Our customers have some very creative ways to use Mānuka honey. They love it with breakfast on toast or drizzled over porridge or in cooking. We even know of people who have a spoonful before they exercise, or to support their everyday wellbeeing®️.

Monofloral – Everyday Boost and Max Strength

Monofloral Manuka Honey is produced by bees who predominantly collected nectar from the Mānuka bush itself. To be called Monofloral, the honey must meet a higher level of two of the four naturally occurring markers and the meet the pollen test. Some batches of Monofloral Mānuka from the most remote regions of New Zealand can have a rating of MGO1025 & above, making it an extremely rare and special find.
Level up and maximise your wellbeeing®️ support. For when you need it the most, add a spoonful daily for natural goodness. Crafted by nature and certified by laboratories to guarantee maximum results.
Our customers have some very creative ways to use Mānuka honey. They love it in your tea or hot drink is great when it’s cold out. We even know of people who have a spoonful direct from the pot when they feel they want that extra wellbeeing®️ booster.

Because you want to level up and enhance your wellness routine with something that tastes great. Enjoy looking after yourself with natural 100% pure, certified Manuka honey from New Zealand that tastes great. Its thick and creamy, caramel goodness.
Manuka honey is different because it has higher anti-microbial effects than other types of honey. Sourced from the native Manuka bush in New Zealand, our honey contains Methylglyoxal (MGO) it’s a powerful, naturally occurring compound known for its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. The MGO rating on every jar shows just how potent each batch is. These properties are tested at independent laboratories in New Zealand before pacing and labelled with a MGO rating to indicate the amount of these wellbeeing®️ benefits. Unlike regular honey, it is tested for purity and strength, often used for many health benefits.

Put simply that Manuka honey has the ability to kill bacteria. This has been shown in scientific testing, and is what makes Manuka different to other honeys. That anti-microbial effect is from MGO.
The number on the front of the pot is the MGO rating. It refers to how much Methygloyoxal is contained within the honey in milligrams per kilogram. So for example, an 80 MGO honey will have been tested to show it contains 80 milligrams of Methylglyoxal per Kilogram.
Manuka honey is a superfood with delicious wellbeeing®️ benefits.
Remember: The Doctor Is In. Every Jar.
Manuka Doctor honey is ONE POT with THREE BENEFITS: It naturally helps Strengthen Immunity + Improve Digestion + Boost Energy

YES definitely. All of our Manuka Doctor Manuka Honey is 100% pure New Zealand Honey.
As a country, New Zealand does not allow any import of any honey into New Zealand.
All of our honey is collective from our hives placed around the Manuka bus all over the country and then brought back to our facility in Hamilton, New Zealand that packs every batch of Manuka Doctor honey.
A powerful plant: Leptospermum scoparium, to give the Mānuka bush its full name, is an evergreen tree found in remote regions of New Zealand. Mānuka will generally grow up to five metres in height, although trees have been seen to grow up to fifteen metres tall. It features thick branching with small leaves and white flowers that give a sweet scent that the bees absolutely love.
Our Manuka Honey is packed, tested and labelled in New Zealand before being transported to the USA. All of our Manuka Doctor Manuka Honey is tested in New Zealand and certified by the New Zealand government as New Zealand Manuka Honey.
All Manuka Honey exported from New Zealand has to meet the strict requirements of the New Zealand Government to ensure it is genuine. Government scientists have identified four chemicals and a DNA marker which are unique to New Zealand Manuka honey – and each batch must be tested to ensure it contains certain levels of these five elements before it can be sold to you, our customers.

Genuine Manuka honey can only come from New Zealand.
Authentic Manuka must also undergo rigorous scientific testing to prove it is the real deal and not a fake or diluted copy. All Manuka Doctor honey is tested in this way using independent labs before being packed in New Zealand itself and exported around the world.
All Manuka Honey exported from New Zealand has to meet the strict requirements of the New Zealand Government to ensure it is genuine. Government scientists have identified four chemicals and a DNA marker which are unique to New Zealand Manuka honey – and each batch must be tested to ensure it contains certain levels of these five elements before it can be sold to you, our customers.
Every batch of Manuka Doctor honey is tested in independent labs. You can evensee the results of the tests undertaken on your batch by typing in the batch number into our online checker. We test to the New Zealand Government’s MPI Standard to prove it is genuine, as well as testing for the MGO level to guarantee strength.

Yes, using a metal spoon will not destroy Manuka honey’s beneficial compounds. Stainless steel spoons are safe, while prolonged contact with reactive metals like iron or copper should be avoided
We’ve had many questions about using metal or wooden spoons in your Manuka honey. Here’s the full facts.
Why Do People Think Metal Spoons Harm Manuka Honey?
The reason is down to the natural composition of honey. You see all honey is naturally acidic. That’s a good thing, because it is partly what provides Manuka’s properties, and a high acidity helps keep honey stable for a long time.
But there is a common misconception that the instant you use a metal spoon for Manuka, you “kill all the beneficial compounds”. This is not true.
Does Manuka Honey React with Different Metals?
Well, yes and no.
First let’s check what we mean by “metal”.
Stainless steel is the most common material for the sorts of spoons you’d find in a kitchen. It’s extremely resistant to corrosion and very much unreactive in a food preparation setting.
Copper and iron: These metals are more reactive and could potentially affect honey's taste or colour if they are left in contact with it for extended periods. But not many people tend to have copper or iron spoons.
Silver. Generally this is a non-reactive metal. Think about silver jewellery which doesn’t rust if you wash your hands or get it dirty. Silver spoons are generally safe to use with honey as long as they are clean and sterile.

If you’re researching the best Manuka honey you’ll often see words like “creamed”.

What does creamed Manuka honey mean?

Creaming is a process of natural granulation of a honey by stirring.You see, in any type of honey the natural sugars present want to try return to their more solid state.That’s why some types of honey can appear crusty or lumpy on the top. That’s the natural sugar crystals forming. They are completely harmless but some people may not like the look or texture of a crystalised honey.

What are the benefits of creamed Manuka?

All Manuka Doctor honey is lightly creamed before it is packed in New Zealand. This breaks down the natural sugar crystals into smaller particles, preventing them from re-forming. Creaming is what gives our honey its even, smooth texture with no lumps.

How does your Manuka honey get creamed?

After our honey has been extracted from the wooden frames in the bee hives, it’s filtered through a fine cotton gauze at our facility in Hamilton (north island of New Zealand).
This filtration removes any small pieces of wax or other items which the bees brought into their hive, and ensures the honey is pure while preserving its pure raw status.
The raw is then ‘tipped’ into a large cylindrical vat where it is gently stirred. This is the creaming process. After creaming it is poured into the individual jars which you buy.

Is your honey ever heat treated or pasteurised?

No, this would destroy the natural properties of the honey’s active compounds.

In short: No, honey does not go bad.
Manuka honey is so versatile and has so many great benefits – we all want to make sure we are having a daily spoonful that is a goodness boost.
Manuka honey doesn’t expire in the way perishable foods do. Thanks to its low moisture content, natural acidity, and powerful compounds, it can last for years if stored properly. While the “best before” date on your jar reflects peak quality—typically set at three years—it’s not a sign of spoilage. Over time, honey may darken or crystallize, but this is completely normal and easily reversed by gentle warming. To keep your Manuka at its best, store it in a cool, dry place, tightly sealed, and out of direct sunlight.
Some interesting history… Did you know honey has been found inside Egyptian Pyramids?
Natural, properly preserved honey should not expire, Archaeologists found honey thousands of years old in ancient Egyptian tombs, and it was still good! Not that your Manuka will last that long in your home! What it shows, is that real honey can last for a very long time. The USA National Honey Board say that “Honey stories in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries.”
Generally, most honey products you’ll buy will have a “best-by," "best-before," or “use-by” date. It doesn’t indicate that honey will actually spoil, go bad, or be unsafe to consume when that date passes — so long as it was stored properly and hasn’t been contaminated.
While our honey won’t simply expire once the date passes, after the three years, we can not guarantee the potency. These compounds include MGO (Methylglyoxal), DHA, leptosperin, and other markers used by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to ensure authenticity.
To enjoy the delicious taste and wellbeeing benefits from your Manuka honey, Manuka Doctor suggest eating it before the best-by date on the container. However, we’re sure the jar will be empty long before then! Because the best routine is a daily spoonful of New Zealand Manuka honey that is creamy, rich and delicious.

No. Like all natural products it cannot be manufactured, only harvested from a crop.
Manuka honey, like other natural foods, can vary slightly in colour, taste, and texture from batch to batch. These differences are influenced by the bees' environment, seasonal conditions, and regional factors across New Zealand. While one jar may be lighter or darker than another, all Manuka Doctor honey meets the same strict testing and certification standards—guaranteeing its quality, authenticity, and MGO rating, no matter the shade.
You see, honey is very much like wine. The complexities of each honey harvest transform depending on the conditions. Each harvest is unique, reflecting nectar & pollen source and even factors like the weather.
The geographical location can also play a part in small nuances in colour and flavour, for example the regions within New Zealand where we have our bee-hives all have slightly different weather patterns within the same harvest year.
The amount of rainfall and sunlight can impact on nectar flow and when during the season the Manuka bush flowers blossom.
And even year on year, the same Manuka honey from the same bee hives can still have differences in honey colour and taste. Isn’t nature wonderfully clever at keeping us guessing?

Generally, Manuka honey has characteristics described as dark cream to brown in colour, is herbaceous in flavour, with a slight bitter aftertaste and not quite as sweet as standard table honey. Manuka honey is always much firmer than runny table honey too.
You see, honey is very much like wine. The complexities of each honey harvest transform depending on the conditions. Each harvest is unique, reflecting nectar & pollen source and even factors like the weather.
The geographical location can also play a part in small nuances in colour and flavour, for example the regions within New Zealand where we have our bee-hives all have slightly different weather patterns within the same harvest year.
The amount of rainfall and sunlight can impact on nectar flow and when during the season the Manuka bush flowers blossom.
And even year on year, the same Manuka honey from the same bee hives can still have differences in honey colour and taste. Isn’t nature wonderfully clever at keeping us guessing.

YES. Infact, Manuka Doctor was the 1st honey company globally to carry the “Certified R.A.W” Certification mark for all of its honey based products.
With rising interest in clean eating, many consumers wonder whether Manuka honey is truly “raw.” While the term lacks regulation in the honey world, Manuka Doctor took steps to meet a clear, credible standard. The result? Manuka Doctor became the first honey brand globally to earn the Certified R.A.W. mark from the International Clean Food Certification. This ensures the honey is minimally processed, safe, bioavailable, and free from GMOs. Naturally filtered and creamed for quality and consistency, it delivers purity and performance in every jar.
What is RAW Manuka Honey?
Raw when it pertains to food, usually means that it has not been pasteurized or heat treated as part of the packing process as over-heating could damage some of the nutritional benefits of the food. However, whilst a lot of brands claim that their honey is “raw”, there is little to no regulations around what defines raw when it pertains to honey, which leads to multiple differing and misleading claims about what “raw” honey is. Furthermore, all honey needs to go through certain processes before it can be packed into a jar.
Read more https://www.manukadoctor.com.au/blogs/content/is-manuka-doctor-s-honey-raw

Each hive is home to a colony of around 40,000 to 60,000 bees and is the place they live, breed and make honey. The colony works as a “superorganism” – it acts as one being, made up of thousands of individuals. Every single one of the thousands of bees in the colony has a role which helps the group keep clean, healthy and efficient at making and storing honey.

YES. There is always honey left for the bees. “Bees are nature’s overachievers - they stockpile and make far more than they need, leaving plenty for us,”. It’s also down to considerate beekeeping. Manuka Doctor’s beekeepers take care to feed the bees, leave enough honey for them to eat over winter and make sure they are healthy. For the team, the health of the hive is the main priority because the healthier the bees, the better able they are to make quality Manuka honey.