Manuka Honey companies are more than familiar with this question.
What is the difference between UMF and MGO and Factor?
The essence of the answer is that UMF is a grading system attached to an organisation that has standards and quality measurements its members must adhere to.
UMF is a grading system
It measures the MGO levels in the honey but also measures additional properties to ensure the honey isn’t fake, adulterated or artificially tampered with to increase its healthy properties. It also assures people buying UMFHA certified honey that the person selling the honey has met certain criteria, ensuring quality and authenticity.
MGO is only the measure of methylglyoxal in Manuka Honey.
It doesn’t measure anything else, only the methylgloxal levels. This is the properties in Manuka Honey that are linked to its special anti-bacterial nature.
KFactor is a term Wedderspoon created AND IS ONLY USED BY THem
It’s essentially an internal marketing term used by Wedderspoon that doesn’t measure anything scientific about the honey but relates more to the internal requirements the honey should meet. None of the KFactor features really confirms the anti-bacterial nature, quality or assurances you get from UMFHA honey. That doesn’t mean it’s bad honey, it’s just not really testing anything specific about the honey. They meet the requirements of MPI but don’t test or publish results beyond that.
According to the UMFHA – here is a table showing the differences between UMF, MGO and KFactor Manuka Honey labelling
| Quality Assurances | UMF | MGO | KFactor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% Government Certified Manuka Honey | ✓ | ||
| Authenticated Purity | ✓ | ||
| Independent Quality Certification | ✓ | ||
| MGO Rated | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Packed, Sealed and Labelled in NZ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 4 Factor Testing & Rating (MGO/DHA/Leptosperin/HMF) | ✓ | ||
| Batch Tracing | ✓ | ||
| International Random Testing Program | ✓ | ||
| Independent Market Validation | ✓ | ||
| Validated Shelf Life & Expiry | ✓ | ||
| Globally Recognised Standard | ✓ |
You can compare this table with our own table which covers other elements of the UMF vs KFactor discussion.
