Real Manuka honey is produced in New Zealand and that all honey has some antibacterial qualities. In regular honey, it comes from hydrogen peroxide that bees make, while in manuka honey, multiple other factors contribute. One antibacterial compound found only in manuka honey is leptosperin, which comes from nectar of the manuka honey bush. It also contains dihydroxyacetone, or DHA—not the fatty acid, but a precursor to the antibacterial compound methylglyoxal.

While Manuka may be new to many of us, that’s not the case in New Zealand, where it has a rich history with native Maori people who have used the honey made from its nectar medicinally for centuries (“Manuka” is a Maori word for a type of tea tree plant, leptospermum scoparium, that grows in New Zealand; the honey is produced from the nectar of this plant). In fact, Manuka’s roots aren’t just in New Zealand; it has been used for its healing properties worldwide since ancient times. Evidence of the golden stuff appears in rock paintings and on papyrus. It’s mentioned in the Bible, Koran and Torah.

There are different rating systems for manuka honey’s antibacterial activity, which can make this topic incredibly confusing for retailers and consumers. The most prominent system is UMF, or unique manuka factor, overseen by the UMF Honey Association, which tests manuka honey for leptosperin, DHA and methylglyoxal and assigns a grade of 5 to 20. The higher the UMF number, the stronger the antibacterial properties. Manuka honey ranked 12 and up is medical grade and can be effective in treating wounds and sores. But remember, it is antibacterial, not antiviral. Colds and flu are viral, so while people may like to add manuka honey to tea when they’re sick, there is no healing benefit.

But not all manuka honey brands use the UMF system. Also, as of 2018, the New Zealand government requires all manuka honey to be tested before export. These new standards will certainly validate whether a product is 100 percent manuka honey but won’t tell you the antibacterial activity.

Luckily, the New Zealand government is making sure it is authentic. In 2014, responding to international trading partners about the authenticity of Manuka honey sold in the world market, the New Zealand government began a three-year scientific quest for a definition of authentic Manuka honey to use in order to regulate export. Researchers from New Zealand’s MPI collected and tested more than 800 honey samples, representing more than 20 different New Zealand honey types from seven production years. They ran approximately 10,000 tests and 1,000 statistical analyses, soliciting help from a dozen scientific organizations. Three independent international experts reviewed the analyses. The new regulations kicked in Feb. 5, 2018.

So how does a company meet the standard? All Manuka honey is tested against five markers (four chemicals and one DNA marker) for authenticity. In response to industry feedback, MPI increased the required level of methoxyacetophenone, a chemical unique to Manuka plants, to make it harder to counterfeit.

“Our reputation for honey production and export rests on the integrity of our products and the credibility of our systems,” says Steve Hathaway, director science and risk assessment, regulation and assurance of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). “The science definition for Manuka honey is essential to maintain New Zealand’s premium position in overseas markets. It will also help the continued growth of our export honey industry.” He notes that international regulators need to have the assurance that the New Zealand Manuka honey they’re selling to consumers is genuine.” “If not, our access to markets could be put at risk or we may lose the premium prices our bee products command overseas.” The new regulations have also strengthened traceability throughout the honey supply chain, he adds.

The new regulatory definition describes two levels of Manuka honey: multifloral and monofloral. Multifloral or monofloral certifications have different minimum levels for two of the five markers.