Manuka Honey FAQs

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 transported to the UK.

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 MGO rating on the front of every pot.

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.

Real Manuka contains naturally high levels of Methylglyoxal or MGO. It’s MGO which provides an anti-bacterial effect, i.e. kill bacteria. You can read how Manuka Doctor honey helps other customers in our verified reviews.

Experts including Public Health England and NICE all agree that all honey can help a cough – but Manuka honey also contains naturally high levels of Methylglyoxal or MGO which has an anti-bacterial effect.

This depends on two things, how much anti-bacterial effect you want to get, and how much you are prepared to spend. That’s because higher grade Manuka is harder to harvest and more rare, which means it is more expensive to buy. Thankfully Manuka Doctor always has special offers every month to give you better value.

While all Manuka Doctor honey must carry an expiry date to meet UK labelling laws, honey in general does not “go bad”. In fact honey was even found well-preserved for thousands of years in ancient tombs! Manuka honey does not need to be kept in the fridge, but we do advise you keep it in a cool, dark place, to keep it in a perfect state for eating.

Certainly! After eating, Manuka honey will slowly travel down your throat and into your stomach. It’s not a medicine so there is no upper limit or prescribed dose. We find most customers enjoy a spoonful or two everyday.

Using Manuka honey for wound care is an area which has been well studied. The principal is that Manuka honey contains an anti-bacterial compound, which means it has the power to kill bugs and bacteria. Many customers do use Manuka honey onto wounds in this way.

When you buy from Manuka Doctor it’s like buying direct from the bee-keeper. We do not operate any shops ourselves, meaning you can benefit by cutting out the middle man and getting cheaper prices when you buy directly from the brand itself.

There are several studies looking at the affect of taking Manuka honey on the body, so this depends very much on the reason you are wanting to try it. Head over to this blog which explains the science around Manuka honey.

Manuka honey has a different taste to normal table honey. It’s darker, thicker and more creamy. Many people describe it as having a woody taste. It’s less sweet than table honey, and won’t dribble out of the jar like you may expect! Genuine Manuka is thick and may have small granules.

Yes, Manuka Doctor Honey is raw Manuka. Our honey is 100% Genuine Manuka with nothing added and nothing taken away. All we do to our honey is lightly filter it to remove any remaining parts of wax from the bee-hive. It is then lightly stirred which helps break down any natural sugar crystals and provide a more even texture, before being packed into jars in our New Zealand base.

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.

Absolutely 100% yes. We pride ourselves on being a true New Zealand brand. All our honey is harvested and packed in New Zealand before being exported around the world. We test our batches of honey five times before sale (including for the all-important MPI standard) and publish these test results on our website for you to access using your batch number.

You can trace your batch number here.

While some supermarket Manuka honeys can be genuine, there are a few common concerns shoppers should be aware of:

Lack of Transparency – Many supermarket brands don’t clearly state the MGO or UMF levels, making it difficult to know the strength or authenticity of the Manuka you’re buying.

Blended or Diluted Products – Some products on shelves may contain blends of Manuka with other honey, reducing their potency and the unique benefits that true New Zealand Manuka provides.

Repacked loocally – Supermarket Manuka is often imported in bulk and packed outside of New Zealand, which breaks the chain of origin and can affect both quality and traceability.

Inconsistent Testing – Most supermarket brands don’t provide independent lab results or certificates, meaning customers can't be sure what they’re getting.

At Manuka Doctor, all of our honey is:

Tested and certified for MGO or UMF content

Packed at source in New Zealand

Fully traceable, with batch-specific certificates

Crystallisation is a completely natural process and a sign that your honey is raw 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.

Manuka honey naturally has a thick, creamy texture - unlike regular runny honey.

This is due to its unique composition, including a higher concentration of natural compounds like Methylglyoxal (MGO).

Rather than being syrupy or too runny, Genuine Manuka honey is often smooth, dense, and spoonable. This texture is a natural result of the way it’s produced by the bees and how it's carefully handled and packed in our facility in New Zealand.

It’s also a sign that your honey hasn’t been overly processed or heat-treated - helping to preserve the natural enzymes and health-boosting properties that make Manuka honey so special.

So if your Manuka honey isn’t runny, that’s a good thing! It means you're getting genuine, high-quality Manuka honey just as nature - and the bees - intended.