Press release, 03/09/2013
In light of the recent issues which have rocked the New Zealand Manuka Honey industry, Waikato –based SummerGlow Apiaries reassures their customers that their Manuka Honey product is 100% true to label.
SummerGlow Apiaries have been beekeeping and producing Manuka honey for over 37 years, and specialising in high activity UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) Manuka Honey for the past 18 years.
SummerGlow Apiaries specialise in the highest quality UMF 10+ and superior UMF16+.
“SummerGlow value their customers and all our honey has always been totally true-to-label. We have never compromised our standards to supply honey that is not true Manuka Honey with the special non-peroxide activity. SummerGlow UMF16+ Manuka Honey has consistently passed every marketplace audit,” says Margaret Bennett, co-owner of Hamilton-based SummerGlow Apiaries.
The UMF Honey Association have been working for years to set industry standards for Manuka Honey, and have been warning people of non-genuine Manuka Honey.
The UMF Association has international standards for non-peroxide activity. Non-peroxide activity is a highly beneficial and stable antibacterial activity naturally present in some strains of Manuka Honey but not found in any other variety of honey.
The UMF Honey Association is carrying out research to identify genuine Manuka Honey. “The UMF Association’s Manuka ID project shows each floral type of honey has its own unique chemical profile or fingerprint. The UMF Honey Association is currently collecting authentic and clean honey samples to further verify the fingerprinting research.
SummerGlow specialise in producing high activity Manuka honey. “We know our honey. Every batch of our honey is tested several times to ensure it has the special non-peroxide activity. We enclose the relevant Laboratory test report with every order,” says Margaret Bennett.
“SummerGlow were major sponsors of the Oritain Honey Vault Project conducted in 2010-2011. This project involved forensic collection of authentic samples of honey directly from the beehive in order to identify various floral types of honey. SummerGlow were Silver Sponsors of the project and in addition samples were collected from several of our apiaries,” she says.
“More recently SummerGlow are prime movers of the Manuka ID project the UMF Honey Association is currently undertaking. This project builds on the work of the Oritain Project and involves sampling hives, plants, bees to develop a honey fingerprint for each floral type of honey. It is important for us to show our customers that anything we claim on our labels is backed by robust science” says Margaret.
SummerGlow Apiaries was the founding member of the UMF Honey Association and holds the first ever issued licence to use the Quality Mark UMF on their genuine Non-Peroxide Manuka Honey.
“We were founders of the UMF Honey Association and have been members of the Association’s executive since its inception. We are extremely involved in the Association and its activities” says Margaret Bennett. The name UMF is a guarantee that the honey being sold is natural unadulterated Manuka Honey and has the special non-peroxide antibacterial activity to at least the level indicated on the label.
The UMF designation and rating is a highly sought-after and well-respected quality trademark. All UMF licence holders are independently audited to meet stringent standards in terms of production, manufacturing, sampling and handling. As part of the testing process every batch of honey must also go through a series of additional checks and supporting programmes to ensure the ultimate in authenticity, quality and safety.
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