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What is Manuka Honey?
Manuka honey is collected by honey bees from the small Manuka tree (Leptospermum scoparium), a native and unique New Zealand plant which grows on hillsides, in coastal areas and at the edge of forests.

Why is Manuka Honey different to other honeys?
All honey are naturally antiseptic a they have a property called the hydrogen peroxide activity which is easily destroyed by light or heat. Manuka honey is unique as some strains naturally have an antibacterial property (Non-Peroxide Antibacterial Activity) over and above the hydrogen peroxide activity which remains active even under the most adverse conditions.

Dr Peter Molan MBE of Waikato University in New Zealand, discovered that Manuka Honey has this unique activity. Since that discovery, Manuka Honey has gained a world-wide reputation and is one of the most sought after honeys in the world.

What is UMF®?
The unique activity in Manuka Honey, discovered by Dr Peter Molan MBE is termed UMF®, which stands for Unique Manuka Factor. It is an established trademark by the Active Manuka Honey Association to highlight and differentiate honey that reached a specified level of UMF® activity, ensuring that the activity of Manuka Honey cannot be misrepresented.

The UMF® activity is tested in an independent testing laboratory. A UMF® number is allocated that equates to the naturally occurring level of unique activity present in the honey. While theoretically the UMF® number could go down as far as 1, only Manuka Honey that reaches a UMF® rating of 10 or more is allowed to carry the UMF® trademark.

The higher the UMF® rating, the more potent the product; for example, a jar of UMF® 20+ Manuka honey would have twice the special antibacterial activity of a UMF® 10+ Manuka honey.

Why buy UMF® Manuka Honey?
- The UMF® trademark was registered to help prevent consumers purchasing Manuka honeys with little or no antibacterial activity. Consumers generally choose Manuka honey:
o As a food for general wellbeing and maintenance, or
o With a UMF® logo and rating for therapeutic application.
- Quoting ‘Active 10’ or a number above without a UMF® logo (which is the guarantee of potency) misleads consumers. This is an unsafe scenario when consumers ‘think’ they are taking a therapeutic honey for their health conditions and they clearly are not.
- One easy way for consumers to tell the difference is that genuine UMF® honey is usually sold in a plastic rather than a glass jar as the honey has to be packed and labeled in New Zealand.

Genuine UMF® Manuka honey complies with all five of the following criteria:
  1. It has the name UMF® clearly stated on the front label.
  2. It is packed into jars and labeled in New Zealand.
  3. It is from a New Zealand company licensed to use the name UMF®.
  4. It has the UMF® licensee’s name on the front label.
  5. It has a rating of UMF® 10 or more.
Please refer to www.umf.org.nz for further information.


Why Comvita Manuka Honey?
Comvita Manuka Honey is packed in a state-of-the-art GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) factory, into unbreakable, brown-tinted containers designed to protect the natural components present in the honey. The honey is in a creamed form so it is smooth to taste and has a firm texture, but easy to spread.

Brand Loyalty:
Comvita were the first company to sell Manuka honey in the UK, and have been UK Manuka honey market leaders for almost 20 years. We have a loyal following of regular users and are well known and respected by retailers and consumers for our high quality and honest products.

Honest Labeling: What You See Is What You Get:
We at Comvita are very particular about the standard of our Manuka honey and what we say about it. Every batch of honey is tested by the only New Zealand laboratory registered to measure UMF® (Unique Manuka Factor) activity and all batches of honey are assessed by qualified technicians for flavour, colour and aroma.
When Comvita labels state that the honey inside is of superior quality and is guaranteed to have a specific UMF® activity, we mean it!

Traceability and Safety:
All of our honeys are completely traceable from the hive through to the jar and are produced under world recognised pharmaceutical safety standards - Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

Where can I purchase Comvita products?
Comvita products are available online at www.comvita.co.uk, as well as being at all good health stores. If your local health store does not have the product you are looking for you can either request it or contact info@comvita.co.uk for further information.

What does Comvita Give Back?
Financially:
Comvita have invested millions of New Zealand dollars around the globe to help fund Manuka honey trials and research projects. We have also secured exclusive intellectual property rights for future Manuka honey product development and have entered into an agreement with the University of Waikato, for a number of new patents.

Socially:
Comvita is actively involved in supporting educational, environmental and charitable activities. Last year for example we donated more than 8,000 tubes of ManukaCareTM 18+ and ApiNate dressings to aid leprosy sufferers and the underprivileged in Vietnam and India.

Environmentally:
We at Comvita are committed to the future of bee products and the environment that secures their future supply. Last year the company donated NZ$15,000 to the planting of native trees, and on site all possible opportunities are taken to recycle materials such as paper, plastic, food and wood.

If you still have a question concerning Comvita and its products please contact info@comvita.co.uk