There is a lot of information in the news and online currently about environmental toxins.

One of these toxins is called BPA, a common chemical used in the manufacture of plastics.

In the USA, there is a backlash about the use of BPA in plastic food containers or baby’s bottles due to concerns that chemicals in the plastic can transfer into the contents.

And while there is a growing body of research into the safety of BPA, no single study conclusively proves that BPA is harmful to humans.

Thankfully at Manuka Doctor we have always made our jars from plastic that is certified as BPA-free.

Giving you the confidence to purchase without worrying about if the packaging is free of this chemical.

The right packaging for the right product

On the subject of plastic, we as a business we have considered switching to glass for our Manuka Honey for some years.

However after an impact assessment, it was established that because the product is transported over 11,000 miles by sea, changing from recyclable plastic to glass would add significant weight and therefore fuel, emissions and pollutants to every shipment.

If you hold a 500g jar of our Manuka Honey in one hand and an empty glass jar in the other you will see what we mean about the combined extra weight!

So while glass itself is a very good packaging material for locally sourced food, it does not make good environmental practice to pack our honey in glass, only to ship heavier containers half way around the world.

Customers will be pleased to hear that all our Manuka Honey jars are made from a type of plastic called PET. This stands for Polyethylene Terephthalate which is the most widely recycled type of plastic in the world and accepted by all local authorities and councils to be recycled as household waste.

Please recycle your Manuka Honey pot responsibly.

Packed in New Zealand, an important commitment

We have made a commitment to pack all our honey into jars in New Zealand itself as this provides the chain-of-custody (or paper trail to use another term) which guarantees that our honey has not been diluted, tampered with or otherwise adulterated its journey from our bee-hives to your home.

Some dishonest companies have been known to export bulk Manuka from New Zealand in large metal drums and then dilute with cheap Chinese honey before packing into jars overseas. Recently the New Zealand Government made a landmark prosecution of a honey company doing just this.

That’s why at Manuka Doctor we are proud to pack in New Zealand and have a transparent supply chain that allows us to trace every single jar right back to the hive site where it was created. You can read more about this traceability here.

Towards sustainability

Here at Manuka Doctor we are making strides in many areas to become a more sustainable business.

Here in the UK we have changed to compostable packaging materials for our mail orders.

And over in New Zealand, we have embarked on one of the biggest wild planting of Manuka Bushes in the country. Read more about our project over on this blog.