Elegantly delicious and crafted by bees, honey has got to be nature’s sweetest gift. But not all honeys are created equal. From multifloral honey, bush honey, and monofloral Mānuka honey all the way through to ultra-high grade and medical grade Mānuka honey. Add UMF™ and MGO ratings to the mix and simply shopping for honey gets pretty daunting! We get that figuring out what all the numbers mean can be overwhelming so we’re going to break it down for you here.
In the world of Mānuka honey, there are two rating systems you might have come across – UMF™ and MGO. Both are used to measure the potency of Mānuka honey but they don’t mean the same thing and they can’t really be converted between. MGO stands for methylglyoxal – the unique active component of Mānuka honey – and an MGO rating gives a standardised measure of your honey’s potency.
On the other hand, a UMF™ rating guarantees your honey has been produced and packed in New Zealand by a UMFHA licensed company. UMF stands for Unique Mānuka Factor and the UMFHA represents an entire association dedicated to certified Mānuka honey! Your UMF™ rated honey will have passed strict laboratory testing to measure MGO for potency as well as extra markers to guarantee freshness, authenticity, and purity. In both systems, the higher the number, the more potent your honey is.
Let’s face it, the two systems can be a little confusing so at Me Today, we put both UMF™ and MGO on pack so you can be confident in your honey choice no matter what rating system you’re more familiar with. Now all you have to do is choose which honey is right for you!