Manuka Honey: The MGO Myth, Industry Decline, and Why It’s Time to Innovate

For years, Manuka honey has been the golden child of the honey industry—revered, marketed, and sold at eye-watering prices based on its MGO (Methylglyoxal) and UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) ratings. But in 2025, the industry finds itself stagnant, struggling, and disconnected from modern consumers. Why? Because it has clung to outdated medicinal claims, relied on plastic-packaged sameness, and ignored the changing health-conscious, innovation-driven younger generation.

As someone disrupting this space, I’ve got a few thoughts—and facts—to unpack.

MGO, UMF & The ‘Medical’ Marketing Trap

The Manuka honey industry has built its entire branding around MGO and UMF ratings, using them as the holy grail for pricing and legitimacy. Here’s the problem:

1. MGO Isn’t the Only Factor That Matters – Yes, Methylglyoxal (MGO) is a powerful antibacterial compound in Manuka honey, but it isn’t the only beneficial component. Manuka contains a whole host of bioactive compounds, polyphenols, and enzymes that contribute to its unique properties. Yet, brands continue to push one-dimensional marketing based on a single number.

2. In the USA, You Can’t Legally Make Health Claims About MGO – That’s right. While brands love to imply that higher MGO means a more potent “medicinal” honey, FDA regulations prohibit health claims without clinical backing. Yet, the industry keeps dancing around this, selling expensive jars as quasi-medicine instead of celebrating Manuka’s flavor, versatility, and natural goodness.

3. Consumers Are Waking Up to the Game – Once upon a time, you could slap an MGO rating on a jar and sell it at a 400% markup. But consumers are now savvier than ever, questioning why they’re paying extra for a number that doesn’t necessarily reflect quality, taste, or sustainability.

4. MGO Can Be Artificially Increased – A dirty little industry secret? Some honey processors ‘age’ or manipulate honey to artificially boost MGO levels. Instead of focusing on pure, natural honey, companies are treating it like a chemistry experiment—all while calling it “premium.”

Why The Manuka Industry Is Declining

The numbers don’t lie—Manuka honey sales have been struggling globally, especially in the USA. What happened?

🔸 Lack of Innovation – The industry is stale. Same jars, same plastic, same beige labels, same old-school video marketing that hasn’t evolved in years. The world is moving towards eco-conscious, functional foods, yet Manuka brands are stuck in 1995, using the same pitch over and over.

🔸 Overpricing & Overpromising – The “medicinal” angle worked for a while, but younger consumers are not buying into the hype like previous generations. They want transparency, functionality, and value—not just an expensive spoonful of honey that claims to work miracles.

🔸 Ignoring the Younger Health-Focused Market – The next generation of health-conscious consumers isn’t just looking for a number on a label. They’re into gut health, adaptogens, functional ingredients, biohacking, and sustainability. Meanwhile, Manuka brands are too busy talking to the old guard instead of capturing the future of food.

🔸 Plastic, Plastic, Plastic – The irony? These so-called ‘natural’ brands are still packaging honey in plastic that leaches chemicals, lasts 450+ years in a landfill, and contradicts the purity they claim to sell. If you’re selling high-end Manuka but still wrapping it in petroleum-based garbage, you’re not part of the solution—you’re part of the problem.

 

 

What Needs to Change? The Manuka Revolution

Enough with the outdated playbook. The Manuka industry needs a full-blown transformation to stay relevant. Here’s where we need to go:

🔥 Flavor Innovation – Manuka is more than MGO. The future of honey is about flavor experiences, culinary creativity, and functional food pairings. Think: black garlic, citrus infusions, adaptogenic blends, and fermented honey recipes.

🔥 Sustainable Packaging – The days of plastic jars need to end. The world is shifting to compostable, circular, eco-conscious solutions, and Manuka brands need to wake up or get left behind.

🔥 Marketing for the New Generation – Enough with the clinical, boring, old-school honey marketing. Gen Z and Millennials care about function, taste, sustainability, and authenticity. Brands need to speak their language—or lose them entirely.

🔥 Education Over Fear-Mongering – Stop the scare tactics about “only high MGO matters”. Teach consumers about the full spectrum of Manuka’s benefits, its role in gut health, its unique flavor complexity, and its versatility beyond a spoonful of overpriced “medicine.”

 

 

I Am Hot Honey: The Disruptor in the Game

I’m not here to play by the old rules—I’m here to break them and rewrite the future of honey.

🌟 We’re not selling ‘medicine’; we’re crafting a revolution.

🌟 Our formulation is about flavor, function, and fire.

🌟 We’ve ditched plastic, embraced sustainability, and are giving Manuka a whole new life.

🌟 We’re turning up the heat—literally.

If you’re still measuring honey by MGO alone, you’re missing the whole damn point.

The industry can stay stuck—or it can evolve. We know which side we’re on.

🔥 Repeat after me… I AM HOT HONEY. 

👉 Join the revolution. www.iamhothoney.com