Why is manuka honey so expensive?

This is becoming a more common question - 'why is manuka honey so expensive'? Unfortunately it is only likely to become even more expensive in future.

The core issue is a basic one of available supply versus demand. As a natural product, the supply side cannot be quickly changed, and can vary from year to year depending on weather conditions and other things that affect the harvest. It is not a factory produced product, and you can't just ask the bees to do an extra shift.

Genuine Manuka honey contains extra special activity over and above that which is found in all honeys. Peroxide based activity is in all honeys, including Manuka, but is not a stable property and so will often not remain in the jar by the time you come to use it. It is a unique 'non-peroxide' activity that makes genuine Manuka special, and is what the supporting research referred to in the press articles is based on.

So in appreciating that Manuka will be more expensive than other types of honey, it becomes more important to know what you are getting, and be sure that you are receiving a product that does contain the additional unique properties.

Your best assurance of receiving the special extra property in your jar is to choose one that carries the UMF® quality mark. This is the only international quality standard, where verification testing can be done in multiple countries. That becomes important when you consider that as a consumer you cannot see, nor taste the special property but are reliant on the label on the jar.

You can download for free a pdf eLeaflet 'Know Your Manuka Honey' from our website. This gives you the background information on how to know if manuka honey is genuine (click this link to get your copy). It has been prepared in association with the Food and Environment Research Agency in the UK (FERA).