MGO Manuka Honey

Testing Manuka Honey

At Nelson Honey, we test all our Manuka Honey to ensure that it is authentic and meets our quality standards and the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) regulations.  In addition, we use 10 different independent tests to help us determine it is genuine, quality manuka honey and to tell us its activity and origin.

How to Choose a Manuka Honey

When choosing your Manuka Honey you should consider two things:

  1. That it is tested according to New Zealand MPI regulations to ensure it is authentic manuka honey from a reputable supplier.
  2. Decide on what level of rating best suits your needs.

What does MGO mean?   

MGO or methylglyoxal is the natural compound that is responsible for the special unique activity that is found in Manuka Honey.  Good manuka honey suppliers and beekeepers measure this to assess the level of activity.   However, the activity can be reflected in different ways which can make it confusing.

Therefore, here at Nelson Honey, we keep it simple and only refer to the MGO activity (Methylglyoxal). That is to say, all rating systems include the level of Methylglyoxal as part of the measurement process. MGO Activity will be indicated on our products as a number.

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