Wedderspoon Caught Misrepresenting the Potency of its Manuka Honey

A laboratory analysis reveals that the Canadian supplier has been selling Manuka honey with little to no antibacterial activity and passing it off as bioactive.

All types of honey have the ability to produce low levels of hydrogen peroxide, which is a natural antibacterial agent. What makes Manuka honey from New Zealand different is that, in addition to its ability to produce hydrogen peroxide, it also contains a non-peroxide activity which researchers believe has a synergistic action with the H2O2, making it superior to other honeys in terms of its antibacterial activity.

The Manuka honey industry has been representing the non-peroxide activity on the labels of each jar of Manuka honey since the University of Waikato developed the Honey Assay Method. The numbers listed on the label of a jar of Manuka honey are comparable to a solution with the same percentage of phenol. For example, Manuka Honey with a non-peroxide activity of 15+ has the antibacterial equivalence to a solution that is 15% phenol.

Because of the impressive antibacterial compounds found in Manuka honey, it has become an extremely sought after commodity. It is also a very rare honey. As a result, the price of Manuka honey has steadily increased over the past few years. The cost of a 500 gram jar of Active 16+ Manuka honey can range from $40 to $60 USD. This is why it was difficult to understand how Wedderspoon could sell their Manuka honey for such a surprisingly low price.

The only conclusion is that Wedderspoon is not selling a quality honey. The results of an analysis performed by NZLabs on two different Wedderspoon products were disclosed yesterday. The analysis included a jar labeled as Active 16+ and another jar labeled as Active 12+, both of which were found to have non-peroxide and total peroxide activity of less than 8.2 which is as low as the test goes. This suggests that the potency of the Wedderspoon Manuka Honey had to be either extremely low or nonexistent. It certainly confirms that the honeys were not of the potency that they were labeled as having.

“This is not only unethical and dishonest, it’s an absolute disgrace,” says Frank Buonanotte, CEO of Honeymark International which is a U.S. importer of Manuka honey. “This type of inactive Manuka honey will not yield the same medicinal results that people have come to expect.” Buonanotte is concerned that if consumers use Wedderspoon Manuka honey, thinking that it is a high active when it is really a low active or inactive, it will make them lose faith in the potential healing benefits of this amazing natural resource.

Wedderspoon has been able to get away with this deceptive and fraudulent practice because the FDA doesn’t recognize honey of any kind as being an antibacterial agent. Therefore, they do not have a role in regulating the potency level of Manuka honey. Nevertheless, consumers have come to recognize the numbers indicated on the label as the potency level. Wedderspoon has twisted the general public’s understanding of Manuka honey’s antibacterial activity by misleading their customers into thinking that they were getting more than what they paid for.

It is uncertain how this news will affect Wedderspoon’s reputation or sales. This matter has been reported to the Office of the Inspector General, USDA, FDA, FTC and Health Canada. Consumers are warned not be fooled by the misrepresentation of Wedderspoon’s Manuka honey. If you are interested in purchasing quality Manuka honey that has a true bioactive potency, go with the many other reputable suppliers who accurately display the non-peroxide activity on the front label of each jar.

Frank Buonanotte Interview

Manuka Honey on the Dr. Oz Show

Manuka Honey Improves Quality of Life for Sick Dog

The following testimonial is from a customer who used Honeymark brand Manuka honey to help her dog with various health conditions.

It has been quite a while since I last emailed you and I wanted to wait until Tasha's saga played out. As you remember, Tasha is the Labrador retriever who we spayed last year. The veterinarian performed the procedure horribly, leaving her with a scarred and closed nasal passage with 25% blockage in her esophagus.

I am pleased to report to you that Tasha is doing very well. In fact, we have also been using Manuka honey for her stomach which was negatively affected from all of the antibiotics that she was on while we were trying to save her life the pharmaceutical way.

We have continued to amaze her doctors with her progress. She is now infection-free, maintained only by the Manuka honey which I give her once per day for her sinuses. She also receives 1/4 teaspoon in water, prior to eating for acid reflux disease.

Her exercise is limited due to the difficulty she has breathing. However, she is an otherwise happy and healthy dog now and plays other dogs, goes to parks for short walks and other public places where she can interact with people. She is an incredible ambassador of the Manuka honey and I always mention it when we tell people about that part of her life.

None of this would be possible today had it not been for your Manuka honey. All of the pharmaceuticals had failed Tasha. She had a horrible infection in her sinuses through her esophagus and the antibiotics were unable to cure it. We were slowly losing her to infection until I put her on the Manuka honey nasal wash. I believe it was this that saved her life and now it is providing her relief for her acid reflux problem.

Thank you for all of the help you provided during her illness. My hope is that other people will learn about Manuka honey and its incredible healing powers. Tasha has an Internal Medicine Specialist who has performed multiple procedures on her and is now doing a life study of her as there is nothing documented that follows a canine who has had these traumas. I hope that when he publishes his article that he gives full credit to the Manuka honey. I believe that he will since he has not prescribed any antibiotics to her since we started the Manuka honey regiment. He remains committed to only treating her with the Manuka honey.

When I asked our veterinarian about the condition of Tasha's tissues following the last procedure, he said that both the sinus areas and her esophagus looked perfectly normal and that there was no infection present anywhere. While the procedure was unable to correct Tasha's problems in either area, the internal view of Tasha's tissue condition was worth a million words in terms of substantiating the ability of the Manuka honey to deal with infections in so many areas.

I wanted to thank you for all of the time and consideration you showed to the care of my dog, and update you on Tasha's good health thanks to the Manuka honey and your unending giving in helping me learn and understand how this product could offer so much. Thank you again for everything that you did to help Tasha live. Without your help, I honestly do not believe she would have survived much longer.

Sincerely,

Kathy and Tasha



To purchase Honeymark brand Manuka honey products, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.

The Non-Peroxide Activity of Manuka Honey

A discrepancy in the way Manuka honey’s potency is measured has consumers concerned that they may not be getting their money’s worth.

All types of honey have the ability to produce hydrogen peroxide which accounts for a portion of its healing qualities. Manuka honey from New Zealand is superior over other types of honey because, in addition to its ability to produce hydrogen peroxide, it also has a non-peroxide activity which researchers believe has a synergistic action in providing optimal healing benefits.

When researchers began to recognize Manuka honey’s additional healing components, they started measuring the non-peroxide activity comparing it to a solution with the same percentage of phenol. For example, Manuka honey with the non-peroxide activity of 15 has the same antibacterial potency as a solution that is 15% phenol.

Very often the number that represents the non-peroxide activity of Manuka honey is followed by a plus sign (+). This is because the antibacterial potency of Manuka honey has a tendency to naturally increase over time. For example, Manuka honey that is labeled as a 10+ had a non-peroxide activity of 10 at the time it was tested but it could be higher depending on how long after testing the honey is used. It could have potentially increased to a 15+.

There have been some trademarks that have evolved over the course of time that precede the number that measures the non-peroxide activity of Manuka honey (i.e. UMF). These acronyms are less important than the actual number itself.

One disturbing practice that has evolved out of greed is companies listing the total peroxide activity on their labels. This is misleading to consumers since the industry standard is to list the non-peroxide activity. The total peroxide activity is the amount of both the hydrogen peroxide and non-peroxide activity. Manuka honey with a total peroxide activity of 15 could have a non-peroxide activity of only 5. Manuka honey NPA 5+ is not potent enough to yield the same medicinal results that people have come to expect. Wedderspoon is notorious for indicating a number that represents the total peroxide activity, rather than the non-peroxide activity.

If you are interested in using Manuka honey for its renowned health benefits, make sure to use a reputable brand that can guarantee their honey has been laboratory tested for its phytochemical potency and the non-peroxide activity is accurately displayed on the front label.

For more information, call 1-866-427-7329 or visit www.HoneymarkProducts.com.