BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS SEP/OCT 2018

COVER STORY
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS September/October 2018 5
Protecting Manuka
honey purity
Ensuring Manuka honey is up to standard
for overseas markets has been a vexed
area for some years. And the new
standards published by the Ministry for
Primary Industries (MPI) earlier this year
were criticised by many honey producers.
By RICHARD RENNIE
The standards’ validity was
called into question when
a survey conducted by
Analytica Laboratories found
10 percent of the supposedly
10+ UMF Manuka honey was
classed by the MPI test as
“non-Manuka”, and the 5-10+
grade that accounts for half
the national harvest, had 50
percent of the samples reported
as “non-Manuka”, despite
passing the UMF Association’s
own test.
At the time an MPI spokesman
acknowledged the anomalies
and said the agency
was working with industry to
“monitor the definition’s performance.”
John Rawcliffe, spokesman
for the UMF Honey
Association - the industry
group whose certified branding
has traditionally provided
purity assurance to overseas
markets - said the industry was
focused on two key areas to
protect Manuka honey’s purity.
The first is around protecting
the “Manuka” descriptor
from overseas copycats and
outright brand thieves. And the
closest threat at present is just
across the Tasman.
Despite having a local
name for a similar honey, the
Australian industry has been
keen to ride on the coat tails of
New Zealand’s success.
“Australian honey producers
are taking court action after
the UK Trademark Protection
Council ruled that the term
Manuka is a Maori term,
and therefore unique to New
Zealand.”
Rawcliffe said the industry
here is digging in to protect
what he sees as New Zealand’s
first food trademark, hopefully
the first of many.
The association has hired
ex-diplomat and World Trade
Organisation negotiator Ian
Fletcher to push for greater
trademark protection on
Manuka.
European food producers in
particular are adept at using
Geographical Indications (GI)
to protect products such as
parmesan cheese or balsamic
vinegar, defining their regions
and methods of production.
Fletcher describes GI protection
as the “Rolls Royce” of
food product definition, which
would put Manuka honey up
alongside Scotch whisky and
champagne.
At present New Zealand
only offers this protection
to wine and spirits - eg,
“Marlborough” sauvignon
blanc. Having the protection
on a broader range of food
products would close the gate
on imposter products, including
those from Australia.
Honey producers have had
public support from Winston
Peters, who at this year’s
Fieldays openly questioned
how Australian honey makers
were able to get away
with using Manuka for their
product.
Rawcliffe said the UMF
Association needs $1.4 million
to get the Manuka descriptor
filed as certification mark
internationally.
“It is still some way off, but
meantime we want to be loud
and strong that Australia is off
the mark trying to also claim
Manuka.”
John Rawcliffe said his
association was happy MPI
was listening to the concerns
the trial had raised. Officials
were acknowledging the science
was provisional and were
open to joint efforts to implement
improved standards,
he said.
Comvita’s Scott Coulter
said he believed the release of
the MPI’s Manuka standards
and definition had given global
markets greater confidence
over the authenticity issues
that have sometimes plagued
the industry.
But he acknowledged the
science behind the standards
was always going to be subject
to review as technology and
knowledge grows.
“The next cab off the rank
will be to bring the standards
in for Manuka honey sold in
New Zealand.”
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