Yep a goodie to say the least! Our team has done a great job building our hive numbers and setting up the hives for the manuka flow. We tried some new manuka forests with great results in terms of production and manuka purity. Some of our main blocks were a bit down on production from the previous season in terms of volume and activity but we usually experience a drop after such a boomer of a season the last one was. Some traditional manuka forests actually produced more than last season. It’s a great feeling visiting the hives in manuka forests that are well into the flow and finding the manuka is still in blossom, the bees are still building new wax in the honey boxes and you need to add more honey boxes to get every last drop of honey the season has to offer. (Not such a great feeling when we have to lift all those full, heavy boxes off the hives though!). The NZ government is about to launch new guidelines on the definition and labeling of manuka honey. It will be great if they can develop a robust standard to unify the whole industry, so everyone is rating their honey to the same standard. But there are some large players in the industry that have invested a lot of money developing and trade-marking their particular rating systems so these entities have a lot at risk if a single regulatory standard is implemented.
Quick answer: Manuka honey can fit before or after exercise as a simple carbohydrate-rich food, especially when you want a naturally sweet option with toast, yoghurt, oats, smoothies, or fruit. It is not a performance guarantee, but a small amount can be a practical pantry choice for active days when timing, taste, and easy energy matter.
Short answer: Yes, you can eat Manuka honey every day as part of a balanced routine, provided you treat it as a sweet food, keep portions sensible, and stay aware of your overall sugar intake.
Short answer: 80 percent Manuka pollen means that, in the pollen count for that honey sample, around 80 percent of the identifiable pollen came from the mānuka plant. It points to floral source, not strength, medical effect, or MGO level.
