In the meantime, we encourage all of our customers to try our other varieties of Manuka honey.  For example, our Manuka Honey with Strawberry, Manuka Honey with Apricot, Manuka Honey with Cinnamon and Manuka Honey with Propolis & Royal Jelly are all active 10+.  These varieties are 95% Manuka honey and 5% of the other ingredient.

The fruit varieties are made with real fruit.  We just use freeze-dried fruit powder so that it blends evenly into the honey.  We just use a very small amount to add some flavor.  There is no added sugar or artificial flavors added to these products.  These new varieties have been a big hit among our customers who have tried them.  They taste great and offer all of the same benefits as our plain Manuka honey varieties.

Researchers are now attributing methylglyoxal as being the compound found in Manuka honey that accounts for its bioactivity.  The concentration of methylglyoxal in Manuka honey is 100 times greater than that of other honeys.  Methylglyoxal can also be found in other sources, such as wine, beer, bread, soybeans, etc.  With Manuka honey, it is derived from the nectar of the Manuka flower which the bees use to produce the honey.

Since methylglyoxal is one of the compounds responsible for Manuka honey’s unique properties, testing for its potency level is an efficient way to determine the potency of the honey.  It has also been determined that methylglyoxal is not absorbed into the body and, therefore, does not pose a dietary risk to consumers.

The UMF Honey Association began voicing their disapproval of Honeymark posting information on our website describing the health potential of Manuka honey.  We felt this was unreasonable since we know there is scientific evidence of Manuka honey being effective for many different uses.  We wanted to be able to continue to educate our customers of the wonderful benefits of Manuka honey.  The only way to do this was to sever our relationship with UMF.

Shortly after disassociating ourselves from the association, the FDA began making it clear to us that they wanted us to remove certain medical claims about Manuka honey from our website.  Because the FDA doesn’t consider honey to be a drug, technically health claims should not be made about it, even if the statements are true.

Since we were forced to remove these statements from our website by the FDA anyway, we thought that it would be beneficial to go back to using the UMF trademark.  Future imports of Manuka honey will most likely bear this trademark again.

Customers will have to obtain information about Manuka honey elsewhere.  Our website used to be a tremendous resource for Manuka honey information.  Unfortunately, the freedom of speech doesn’t apply to medical claims pertaining to a natural product.

It’s important for our customers to know that our Manuka honey is exactly the same now as it was when our labels bore the UMF trademark.  It meets the same standards and is of the same quality.  Each batch of Manuka honey is laboratory tested, just as it was required to be under the auspices of UMF.  The potency levels listed on our Manuka honey labels are just as accurate as they were in the past.

Check back with us in the future to see the UMF trademark back on our labels.

We wanted people to get a more nonbiased opinion about our products; something more than just reading a description that we wrote about a product on our website.  To accomplish this, we have been sending samples to people for the purpose of reviewing our products and giving their honest opinions on their blogs and YouTube channels.  These are independent product reviewers who were not paid by us to review our products.

You can find these reviews by doing a search for “Honeymark Reviews.”  You will see many videos and blog posts providing their honest opinions of our products.  We will continue to allow product reviewers to get the word out about our products.  This is the best way for individuals who are interested in our products but like to do their due diligence before placing an order.

Honeymark has recognized how important it is to our customers that our products not be tested on animals.  We at Honeymark love animals and would never participate in the same unethical business practices that the big cosmetic companies have been known for.

Before we launch a product, we use volunteers (human) to participate in trial studies so that we can test the efficacy of our products before presenting them to the retail market and our customers.  This ensures that are products are safe and effective.  We also take feedback from our customers very seriously which allows us to tweak the formulations of our existing products in an effort to make revisions and improvements.

Honeymark intends on continuing its pledge to remain a cruelty-free manufacturer of natural skin care products and Manuka honey importer.

Despite the laws protecting the constitutionally protected right to the freedom of speech, labeling regulations are monitored very carefully by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  Since the FDA doesn’t regard honey of any kind as a registered drug, they forbid companies like Honeymark from making medical claims about it.

When it comes to the FDA, a statement being true doesn’t give companies the right to print it.  Only after undergoing an extensive New Drug Application, which costs millions of dollars and could take many years to get approved, only then companies have the legal right to make a medical claim about a product.  Unfortunately, only the multibillion dollar pharmaceutical companies can afford this process.

Entities that don’t sell Manuka honey can say whatever they want about it due to the freedom of speech laws.  This is why Dr. Oz can discuss the healing properties of Manuka honey all he wants on his show.  Once a company sells Manuka honey, anything that is in writing by that company, whether it be a brochure, marketing material or website becomes an extension of their labels, and therefore falls under the labeling regulations.

There is also speculation that the pharmaceutical industry bribes the FDA, forcing them to prevent companies that sell natural products from making any health claims.  This is extremely frustrating for both manufacturers and consumers.  It’s a shame that we live in country that stifles the truth about natural products, just so they can continue to receive donations and endorsements from big pharma.

Maybe at one point in the future, someone will put an end to this political corruption.  However, in the meantime, the public will have to get their information about Manuka honey from other informational sites that are available on the internet.

If Manuka honey is so valuable, why does the price vary so much?  The answer is that the quality varies with the price.  Yes, even the Manuka honey industry has a seedy underbelly.  As with any hot commodity, a black market has developed, misleading customers into thinking that they are getting the real deal for a lower price.  Although, the age old adage rings a bell…you ultimately get what you pay for, some customers have been hoodwinked into buying Manuka honey that is total crap and virtually worthless.

Because Manuka honey is a rare honey and everyone seems to want it these days, bee farmers in New Zealand are selling their supply at a premium price.  As an importer, Honeymark has scoured New Zealand looking for the most competitive prices with equally matched quality.  This has become an extremely challenging thing to do.

There are several factors that contribute to the price of Manuka honey.  Its potency definitely plays an important role in determining its value.  In other words, the higher the potency, the higher the price.  Some unscrupulous suppliers participate in unethical business practices in an effort to drive their retail price down and their profit margins up.  They do this by blending Manuka honey with less expensive honeys, or they mislabel their Manuka honey as a high active when it’s really inactive.  Others have also been known to artificially increase the potency of the honey by heating it.

Honeymark has built its reputation on supplying quality, unadulterated Manuka honey to its customers.  At the end of the day, consumers recognize quality and demand it, especially when it comes to products affecting their health.  Bargain hunters should beware that if they are spending considerably less for their Manuka honey, they may not receive the same desired benefits they were expecting.

The upper navigation in the menu bar makes it easy to get around the site.  Just to the right of the “Home” tab you will see, “Shop Our Products.”  Positioning your mouse pointer over this tab will prompt a drop-down window to appear.  Here you will see a list of our products.  Simply select one of the products to be automatically redirected to that product page.  If you hover your mouse pointer over, “Manuka Honey,” a secondary drop-down window will appear listing all of our Manuka Honey varieties.  If you click on the, “Manuka Honey” tab, it will take you to a page that only displays the different Manuka Honey varieties.  If you click on the, “Shop Our Products” tab, you will be redirected to a page that lists all of our products.

When you are on a product page, you will see all of the information you need about that particular product, including price, size, availability, ingredients, warnings, and other information.  To purchase the product, add the quantity in the appropriate field and click the, “Add to Cart” button. This will redirect you to a page that will give you further instructions or you can continue shopping.  You may also notice similar products listed in the right margin that you may be interested in.

If you scroll down further on the products page, you will see additional tabs that will provide more product information.  The, “Ingredients” tab will list a breakdown of each individual ingredient and state what plant it’s derived from and what it’s purpose is in the product.  This will give you a much more detailed explanation of the ingredients.  Since we only use safe and natural ingredients in our products, we want to make it easier for our customers to understand the details of each ingredient, even if they may have a scary, chemical-sounding name.

Before placing an order, we encourage all of our customers to review our policies which can be located by hovering your mouse pointer over the, “Customer Service” tab.  A drop-down window will appear giving you the option to select the Return Policy, Privacy Policy and Shipping Policy.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, PayPal and Google Checkout.  Our packages are usually shipped within 24 hours via U.S. Priority Mail.  It usually takes 2-3 business days to receive a package from our warehouse (6-10 business days for international orders outside the U.S.)  If you would prefer to place an order by phone, please contact one of our friendly Customer Support representatives at 1-866-427-7329.

Many of our customers ask if they can consume Manuka honey when they are pregnant or lactating.  It’s perfectly safe to consume Manuka honey when pregnant or breast feeding because the adult body filters the bacteria before it could do any harm to an unborn child or breast feeding baby.

It is safe for pregnant or lactating women to apply Manuka honey topically to the skin.  The topical application of Manuka honey is also safe for external use on infants.

If you store Manuka honey in a cool place below room temperature, it may crystalize.  This doesn’t mean that it’s bad or should be discarded.  Just heat a pot of water and take it off the stove just before it boils.  Then place the entire jar of honey into the warm water.  The crystals will revert back to their original form.  You can also do this if the consistency of the honey is too thick and you prefer it to be looser.

Never heat, boil or microwave Manuka honey as this could damage the enzymes which contribute to its benefits and natural properties.  Even though there is no need to freeze or refrigerate honey, doing so does not cause any harm.