Manuka honey 'fake' known by industry

The manuka honey industry body admits it could have been quicker off the mark to protect New Zealand's product, which is at the centre of an international food fraud investigation.

Britain's Food Standards Agency has issued a nationwide alert to all trading standards departments in Britain, asking them to watch out for honey labelled as manuka but derived from other sources, the Sunday Times reports.

Manuka honey sells for a big premium over other honey internationally thanks to endorsements from various celebrities, including singer Katherine Jenkins, actor Scarlett Johansson, and tennis star Novak Djokovic. A 500g jar sells for up to NZ$90 in Britain.

But tests by the scientific arm of Britain's environment and food ministry suggested much manuka honey had nothing except price to set it apart from ordinary honey.

In October 2011 it found that from 23 manuka-labelled honeys, 11 did not show "non-peroxide" anti-microbial activity unique to genuine manuka honey.

The New Zealand Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA) commissioned more tests in 2012 and also this year in Britain, China and Singapore. Of 73 samples tested, 41 showed no non-peroxide activity. Separate tests in Hong Kong found that of 55 manuka honeys sampled, 14 had been contaminated with syrup.

The UMFHA, which represents New Zealand manuka honey processing companies, said it should have been more proactive about protecting the brand.

"We knew that there were problems," association head John Rawcliffe said yesterday. "We knew we sold more ‘manuka' overseas than has ever been produced . . . we've been spending everything we've got to work out how to stop this fraud, and the only negative thing is that we should have done it quicker."

Its research showed that 1700 tonnes of manuka are produced here each year, compared with the estimated 1800 tonnes of "manuka" honey sold in Britain alone. As much as 10,000 tons are sold worldwide, suggesting widespread fraud.

Almost all the world's manuka honey comes from New Zealand, with the industry here worth about $120 million.

Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye said she was working with industry and overseas regulators, and expected a guideline to help clarify labelling issues to be developed over the next month.