Raw honey labelling - article

[Mellifera Crofter]

I read this article (http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/23/why-raw-honey-is-good-for-you) in The Guardian: 'Why raw honey is good for you'.

It says,
If you are looking for a raw honey with activity strong enough to be therapeutic, go for one labeled 10+. Guide price: £5-£10 per 340g pot of raw honey, more for manuka.
Does anybody know what that 10+ means? (As for therapeutic honey - yes, I know that our local honeys can be as good or better than Manuca.)

Kitta

[fatshark]

Hi Mellifera Crofter
I'm pretty sure the number relates to the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) which is a measure of the antibacterial properties of the honey, compared to the disinfectant phenol. A factor of 10 is as active as 10% phenol. There's more here (http://www.aliveplushoney.com/amh-umf-and-mgo-rating-explained.php) including the definite from the Active Manuka Honey Association "The presence of the special non-peroxide activity can be detected only by an array of scientific testing directly relating to the phenol standard. The rating has a one-to-one relationship to the phenol standard."

Considering the near direct correlation between UMF and GBP it's perhaps something we should all consider testing ;)

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thanks Fatshark.

[Black Comb]

How is "raw" defined?

[fatshark]

Not very well … in the Guardian article they refer to 'Raw, cold extracted honey hasn't been heat-treated and "purified"' but then they follow this recommendation with a recipe for Grilled Honeyed Chicken Skewers, which are - inevitably - grilled. Confusing.

For simplicity I'd consider 'raw' honey to be spun out of the frames and bottled directly, with no heating other than that provided by the bees in the hive. I get requests for unheated honey but, on discussion, it's usually from people after honey that's not been pasteurised or heated excessively. Most are perfectly happy with soft set honey knowing that it has to be heated a bit for mixing and bottling.

[Black Comb]

Thanks.
Oops, didn't read the article.
Your definition sounds good. I might try this next year on my door sales table.
Currently using "lightly filtered to retain flavour and pollen". Must be OK because I've sold out.

[fatshark]

Most are perfectly happy with soft set honey knowing that it has to be heated a bit for mixing and bottling.

Actually … I usually say 'warmed' for mixing and bottling ;)