A natural food distributor declares war on Morninka honey

About ten thousand tons of mānuka honey are sold worldwide each year

The problem is that only 1,700 tons of honey are produced – which means that there are many consumers who are being scammed .

The Daily Mail reports that Holland & Barrett sends samples of each batch it receives for laboratory testing to confirm that they contain enough products to fight the flood of fake products. It is feared that unscrupulous suppliers who import honey from Europe to New Zealand may mix it with cheaper honey or glucose syrup.

Known as "liquid gold", mānuka honey can cost as much as £ 100 (NZ $ 192) a pot and celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson swore by his powers of healing.

Honey, made from bees that pollinate the Mānuka bush in New Zealand, has antibacterial properties and a host of nutrients, including amino acids, B vitamins and calcium. It has been shown to help heal wounds and has long been used to relieve sore throats, skin conditions and digestive issues.

New Zealand has put in place controls to ensure that only true Mānuka honey can be exported. Peter Aldis, boss of Holland & Barrett, said: "If you buy mnuka honey, you want to be sure what you get is the real deal, we decided to adopt the New Zealand government. The requirements of the UK guarantee our customers the purest, purest and purest manuka honey, where the antibacterial strength is measured and presented in a robust and transparent manner.

The 34 types of mānuka honey sold at 750 stores will be tested on quality.

Dr. Adrian Charlton, Honey Expert, Fera Food and Plant Laboratory, leads the trials. His team will measure levels of methylglyoxal, or MGO, in each lot – an indicator of the antimicrobial strength of honey.

Only honeys containing 40 MGO to 850 MGO will be allowed to go on sale.

"People buy mnuka honey because they think it will make them feel better and this is related to antimicrobial strength."