Honey Map Helps Identify Verify Source

International Testing of NZ Honey
Oritain Global Limited, 12/17/2009

Oritain’s investment in a nationwide honey map has paid off. On a recent trip to the US, Oritain officials purchased manuka honey directly from US company packaging and reselling it as a “Product of New Zealand”. The sample was brought back to NZ and tested. Oritain was able to scientifically verify that it was from NZ. Additionally, they could confirm its floral type (manuka) without the need to look at pollen count.

“It is an exciting development” said Mike Darling, NZ operations manager for Oritain “We have invested heavily in building a data reference map of NZ honey. Oritain is now at the stage where we can test honeys in the international marketplace against our data and determine if they are truly of NZ origin.” Furthermore, Oritain works with an international team of scientists, “We no longer need to bring samples back to NZ. Rather we provide approved laboratories with the testing regime. They undertake the analyses and we can compare that with our reference data”…