Keeping NZ honey's reputation sweet

New Zealand Honey Company director Peter Ward, of Lake Hawea, is signing up to a scientific authentication process to protect the premium quality status of New Zealand honey on the international market. Photo by Matthew Haggart.

New Zealand Honey Company director Peter Ward, of Lake Hawea, and Lindis Honey Company general manager Colin Wood, of Bannockburn, are two local apiarists who are backing the new development of Oritain Global.

Oritain Global was launched in Dunedin last November.

It is commercialising a global country-of-origin food verification system.

Mr Ward said he was behind the development and scientific processes used by Oritain to authenticate a product's "point of origin".

Mr Wood said many consumers had lost faith in producer claims and were demanding independent assurances about a product's origin.

"Without question, it is one of the biggest issues facing New Zealand products," Mr Ward said.

New Zealand honey has a top position on the international market as a a quality product and Oritain provided an independent means of verifying origin, he said.

"They can very accurately . . . confirm whether contamination [of a New Zealand honey product] has been taking place," Mr Ward said.

The authenticity of New Zealand's honey was at stake, Mr Wood said.

Several instances have emerged overseas where honey producers were diluting their products and mixing them with honey from other countries, relabelling the product, and then selling it as a premium brand based on the reputation of that particular country's honey.

Lindis Honey Company had opted to have Oritain independently certify their honey to provide assurances about its origin, he said.

Oritain's tick of authentication and origin helped protect the name and image of New Zealand products overseas, Mr Ward said.