Unique Honey Factor
UMF™ stands for “Unique Mānuka Factor” and is a grading system developed by the UMF™ Honey Association in New Zealand which grants UMF™ licenses to mānuka honey manufacturers who meet their rigorous standards.
The UMF™ Honey Association is an independent body which regulates the UMF™ mānuka honey quality trademark and protects your rights as a consumer through the maintenance of stringent, internationally recognised quality standards with regard to the production of UMF™ rated mānuka honey.
When you see the UMF™ trademark, you can be sure you are buying the highest quality, 100% natural, unadulterated mānuka honey.
All UMF™ licence holders are independently audited to meet stringent standards in terms of production, manufacturing, sampling and handling.
Our UMF™ licence number is 2966.
What is UMF™ ?
UMF™ stands for “Unique Mānuka Factor” and is a grading system developed by the UMF Honey Association in New Zealand.
The UMF™ Honey Association grants UMF™ licenses to mānuka honey manufacturers who meet their rigorous standards. Every batch of honey is tested by the UMF™ Association for authentic mānuka honey from New Zealand.
Furthermore, the UMF™ tracks key signature markers: Leptosperin, Methylglyoxal, and DHA as well as HMF. All these chemicals must be present in mānuka honey for it to be authentic and receive the Unique Mānuka Factor.
The final UMF™ number is based on all of the chemicals combined. Here are some examples of UMF™ potencies:
- Low Grade: UMF™ 5+ to UMF™ 9+
- Medium Grade: UMF™ 10+ to UMF™ 15+
- High Grade: UMF™ 15+ to UMF™ 20+
- Superior Rare High Grade: UMF™ 24+
Every mānuka manufacturer is required to hold a valid UMF™ license to obtain a UMF™ trademark on the label. Our UMF licence number is 2966.
Mānuka Honey MGO vs UMF™ Calculator
Below is a table of UMF™ vs MGO numbers to help you better compare and calculate the comparable levels stated on New Zealand Mānuka Honey jars.
UMF™ is one of the most widely used grading systems of Mānuka Honey internationally. MGO (or MG) is the measurement of methylglyoxal in the Mānuka Honey.
Are UMF™ and MGO the same?
No. UMF™ is a complete and advanced grading system. It includes the measurement of MG (MGO) (methylglyoxal) levels, but also includes additional testing of authenticity markers of the Mānuka Honey.
UMF™ grading ensures it is the highest quality Mānuka Honey and guarantees the chemical marker levels stated on the label. MG is one of the potency markers in the Mānuka Honey.
Monofloral vs Multifloral Mānuka Honey
Anything above UMF 5+ is a monofloral Manuka honey. Anything below UMF 5+ is a Multifloral Mānuka honey.
Monofloral honey is honey that comes from the nectar of one main flower. In the case of Mānuka honey, this is the Mānuka flower. Multifloral honey is honey that comes from the nectar of many flowers or honey that has been blended with other honey. If the Mānuka levels in honey are not sufficiently high, a Mānuka honey will then be labelled as a Multifloral Mānuka Honey.
UMF™ grading includes:
- Methylglyoxal (MGO / MG)
- Leptosperin – indicates that the honey comes from the Mānuka plant
- Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) – in the nectar of the Mānuka flower
- Non-peroxide activity (NPA) – comparable in number to UMF™