The manuka honey industry from New Zealand has arranged for two laboratories in Asia and Europe to test for the special antibacterial activity which is there in some strains of manuka honey which will make it much easier for supermarket chains and offshore consumers to verify the quality.

The two laboratories are an addition to the two which are currently located in New Zealand used by processors and exporters.

Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) general manager John Rawlcliffe said, “The New Zealand honey market faces challenges from overseas. It needs to move past its own internal positioning and ensure that the honey standards can be protected and affirmed in an international market”.

He added that the laboratories will be able to not just use tests on anti-bacterial activity but also objective chemical markers like the methylglyoxal content.

Recently the association has been caught up in a feud between manuka honey companies over the best way to label the anti-bacterial qualities of active manuka honey but Mr Rawlcliffe today said that it was also important to have domestic industry working together since its main competition was offshore.