Manuka Charitable Trust and the honey industry remain committed to protecting the term MANUKA HONEY

Manuka Charitable Trust and the honey industry remain committed to protecting the term MANUKA HONEY with appeal of UK Intellectual Property Office decision

The Mānuka Charitable Trust and the Mānuka Honey Industry remain committed to protecting the term ‘Mānuka Honey’ for all New Zealanders and supports the decision of the Manuka Honey Appellation Society and the Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA) to pursue an appeal in cassation. concerning the decision of the UK Intellectual Property Office on the application for the certification mark “MANUKA HONEY“.

“Our common goal remains to protect the term MANUKA HONEY internationally so that it can only be used legally on products containing Mānuka honey from Aotearoa New Zealand,” said Pita Tipene, Chairman of the Manuka Charitable Trust (MCT). MCT is strongly supported by Mānuka Honey Appellation Society (MHAS), UMFHA, Apiculture New Zealand and New Zealand Beekeeping Inc.

The group remains firmly of the view that it is not appropriate for honey producers in another country to use the name MANUKA HONEY when the plant from which the nectar comes did not grow in Aotearoa New Zealand. .

It is also an Indigenous rights issue that is out of step with existing Indigenous intellectual property frameworks and consumer demand for authenticity and quality. The word MANUKA comes from our reo Māori (language) and a precious taonga (treasure) that we have a responsibility to honor and protect,”

Regarding the UK market, “We strongly support the UK consumer to understand that MANUKA HONEY is a product of Aotearoa New Zealand. These customers know from buying MANUKA HONEY over the past 20 years that mānuka is a Maori word originating from Aotearoa New Zealand and that is what makes it so unique.

When considering the appeal, MHAS says they have taken into account a full review of the UK decision and that UK consumers should rightly be able to expect to receive the same MANUKA HONEY product as they have purchased for over 20 years from Aotearoa New Zealand.

Aotearoa New Zealand is the only country in the world to have a government regulated export definition for honey derived from the native Mānuka plant which grows in the countryside and forests of Aotearoa New Zealand. This definition also requires all honey exported from New Zealand under the MANUKA HONEY name to meet testing requirements, ensuring it is pure and compliant with labelling. This gives consumers confidence in this authentic and unique New Zealand honey.

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