Do you know what honey are you getting for your money?

HEALTH conscious Manuka honey fans should ensure that what they are buying is genuine after it was revealed that five out of six jars are fake.
The warning came as Channel Four’s Dispatches programme this week (Monday, March 17) documented figures which show that UK consumption of the immune boosting honey exceeds global production.
And with jars of Manuka honey selling for up to £45, someone somewhere is making a tidy fortune, the programme claimed.
Recently the UK Food Standards Agency issued a warning about unscrupulous traders looking to make a quick buck by flooding the market with ‘fake’ Manuka honey.
Manuka honey has been championed by celebrities including actress Scarlett Johansson, Welsh classical singer Katherine Jenkins and tennis ace Novak Djokovic who described it as one of his health “obsessions” and eats spoonfuls on the sidelines between sets.
Genuine Manuka honey has the UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) mark and contains antibacterial, antioxidant and antifungal properties. It comes from bees that pollinate the Manuka (or tea tree) bush which is grown almost exclusively in New Zealand, making it extremely rare and pushing up its price.
Lise Holmgaard Martin, partner of The Honey Doctor, based in Tiverton, North Devon, today spoke to allay the confusion surrounding Manuka honey and to help consumers. She said that it can be confusing for shoppers to understand whether what they are buying is the real deal and urged consumers to look out for UMF on the label.
Lise added: “There is quite a lot of Manuka honey produced in New Zealand, but only a small percentage of this is found to be truly “Active”.  
“Consumers should look for the trade mark “UMF”, which is the original, and recognised, quality standard mark for New Zealand Manuka Honey.
“UMF is a trademark and can only be used by licensees, who have to meet rigorous standards on all their UMF marked Manuka Honey. All UMF Manuka honey is batch tested for activity and labelled accordingly to its strength.”
UMF stands for 'Unique Manuka Factor’, the special antibacterial property found in Active Manuka Honey.
Genuine UMF Manuka Honey complies with all three of the following criteria:
It has UMF clearly stated on the jar
It clearly states the UMF producer licence number on each jar
It is packed into darkened plastic jars and labeled in New Zealand

Log on to www.thehoneydoctor.com for more details of UMF Active Manuka Honey and its range of Manuka honey based products.