What "Raw" Manuka Honey really means (2026)
Information in this article shouldn't be considered medical advice. If you are considering taking manuka honey, propolis, royal jelly or bee pollen for their health benefits and are currently taking medication, please consult your doctor first.
What “Raw” Means in the Context of Honey
Generally, “raw” honey refers to honey that has not been pasteurised and has undergone minimal processing after being extracted from the hive. The term commonly indicates that the honey has not been exposed to high heats and has been filtered to only remove large particles such as wax or insect debris.
In New Zealand, the term “raw” is merely considered a descriptive term rather than a regulated category. There is no statutory or certification-based definition that can formally classify a honey as raw.
Practically speaking, when producers describe their honey as raw, it typically means the honey has been gently warmed if necessary to aid handling and pouring and has not been subjected to high-temperature heat treatments which could significantly alter its physical structure. The use of the term “raw” does not imply nutritional superiority, therapeutic effect, or any sort of regulatory status.
Is Manuka Honey Pasteurised?
Manuka honey produced in New Zealand is not pasteurised in the same way as liquid foods such as milks. Traditional food pasteurisation involves heating something to a defined temperature for a specified time to reduce the microbial content in the substance. This is not standard practice with New Zealand manuka honey.
Honey’s naturally low water content, acidity, and sugar composition already limit microbial growth. Due to this, routine pasteurisation is not required for food health and safety under New Zealand regulations.
Some honey may be gently heated during processing to improve honey flow, reduce crystallisation, or improve filtering. However, temperatures used for this are significantly lower than those of pasteurisation.
How Heat Affects Honey Properties
Heat can affect honey in measurable ways, based on the temperature applied and the duration of exposure. Higher temperatures can reduce enzyme activity, reduce trace levels of vitamins/nutrients, alter flavour compounds, and increase levels of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a compound formed when sugars are heated.
New Zealand honey processors generally aim to use the lowest possible temperatures needed for handling and packing honey (typically below 50°C). This approach helps preserve the honey’s natural characteristics while ensuring it can be processed safely and consistently.
Gentle warming during processing does not imply that honey is refined or degraded beyond what regulations deem acceptable. The presence or absence of heat alone does not determine whether a honey is authentic, compliant, or safe to eat.
Filtering vs Ultra-Filtering Explained
Filtering is a standard step in the processing of honey and is primarily used to remove physical debris such as wax fragments, bee parts, or other hive material introduced during extraction.
Basic filtering retains pollen grains and fine particulates, while ultra-filtering removes much smaller particles, including most pollen. Ultra-filtering is not commonplace in New Zealand manuka honey production, as pollen contributes to manuka honey’s traceability and supports certain authentication and origin assessments.
This distinction matters as filtering affects what can be measured and verified. Honey that retains pollen allows laboratories to perform pollen analysis and related testing, whereas heavily filtered honey limits these verification methods.
What New Zealand Standards Allow
In New Zealand, honey production is regulated by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), which has set requirements for food safety, processing, and export compliance. These standard focus on ensuring honey is safe, traceable, and accurately represented, rather than defining marketing descriptors such as “raw.”
While MPI does not prescribe a specific maximum processing temperature for honey, it instead regulates acceptable limits for compounds such as HMF and requires that honey remains fit for human consumption throughout processing and storage.
Alongside this are the scientific definition and testing frameworks used to authenticate and grade manuka honey, using chemical marker analysis, which are designed to verify floral source and composition rather than measuring or certifying whether a honey is “raw.”
Common Misuse of the Term “Raw”
The term “raw” is sometimes used in ways that imply assurances it does not provide. It may be presented as evidence of superior composition, minimal human intervention, or enhanced properties, even though such implications are not formally defined or regulated.
Because “raw” is not independently verified, its use relies on how a producer chooses to describe their processing methods. Different products labelled as raw may have undergone different handling practices while still meeting New Zealand food safety requirements.
For this reason, “raw” should be understood as a general descriptor rather than a technical classification or guarantee.
