Most manuka honey is not pasteurized. In New Zealand, where the vast majority of manuka honey originates, traditional pasteurization is not standard practice. Honey’s naturally low moisture content, acidity, and high sugar concentration already limit microbial growth, so routine pasteurization isn’t required under New Zealand food safety regulations.
Why Manuka Honey Skips Pasteurization
Pasteurization in the traditional sense means heating a product to a specific high temperature for a set period to kill harmful microorganisms. This is common for milk and juice but largely unnecessary for honey. Honey is one of the few foods that naturally resists microbial growth on its own, which makes the process redundant from a safety standpoint.
That said, manuka honey isn’t completely untouched by heat. During processing, it may be gently warmed to improve flow, make filtering easier, or slow down crystallization. New Zealand honey processors generally keep temperatures below 50°C (about 122°F) during handling and packing. That’s well below the roughly 80°C (176°F) threshold used in actual pasteurization, where yeasts are destroyed and crystallization nuclei are dissolved. The goal is to use the lowest heat possible to move the honey through production without degrading its quality.
What “Raw” Actually Means on a Manuka Label
You’ll often see “raw” or “unpasteurised” on manuka honey labels, but in New Zealand, “raw” is a descriptive marketing term rather than a regulated category. There’s no official certification or statutory definition that formally classifies any honey as raw. Because standard New Zealand manuka honey already isn’t pasteurized, calling it “raw” is technically accurate but doesn’t distinguish it from most other New Zealand manuka honeys on the shelf.
Labels that say “raw,” “unpasteurised,” or “cold-extracted” signal that the producer kept heat exposure minimal and preserved the honey’s natural composition. Some brands also test for hundreds of compounds to verify that the honey remains free of added sugars, pesticides, and antibiotics. If you’re comparing products, the UMF or MGO rating on the label is a more meaningful indicator of quality and bioactive strength than the word “raw” alone.
What Heat Does to Honey’s Beneficial Compounds
The reason pasteurization matters to honey buyers is that high heat damages or destroys many of the compounds people seek manuka honey out for in the first place. Unpasteurized honey retains bee pollen (which has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties), bee propolis (a resin-like substance rich in B vitamins, vitamins C and E, magnesium, and potassium), natural enzymes, amino acids, and antioxidants. Pasteurization strips bee pollen from honey and can break down antioxidants and enzymes.
This is especially relevant for manuka honey because its reputation rests on bioactive properties that go beyond ordinary table honey. Exposing it to high temperatures would undermine the very qualities that make it valuable. That’s a key reason the New Zealand industry avoids aggressive heat treatment.
Medical-Grade Manuka Is Sterilized Differently
There is one category of manuka honey that does undergo sterilization, but it doesn’t use heat. Medical-grade manuka honey, the kind used in wound dressings and clinical settings, is sterilized with gamma irradiation. This process eliminates bacterial spores and all viable bacteria without raising the honey’s temperature. Because there’s no heat involved, the enzymes, flavonoids, and other heat-sensitive compounds that drive honey’s antibacterial effects remain intact.
An alternative sterilization method called ozonation exists but has been shown to fail at eliminating all microorganisms, making gamma irradiation the preferred standard. Medical-grade products are distinct from the jars you’d buy at a grocery store or health food shop. They’re selected, tested, and processed specifically for clinical use.
Supermarket Honey Is a Different Story
Generic supermarket honey, the blended kind that often comes from multiple countries, is frequently pasteurized. Producers heat it to around 80°C to extend shelf life, prevent crystallization, and create a uniform liquid appearance. This is the “regular honey” that loses much of its pollen, enzyme activity, and antioxidant content during processing.
Manuka honey from New Zealand doesn’t follow this model. Its value comes from keeping it minimally processed. If you’re buying a jar with a legitimate UMF or MGO rating from a New Zealand producer, it almost certainly has not been pasteurized. The gentle warming used during packing is far below pasteurization temperatures and is considered standard handling rather than thermal processing.
One Safety Note for Parents
Whether pasteurized or not, no honey of any kind should be given to children under 12 months old. Honey can contain spores that cause infant botulism, a serious form of food poisoning. Pasteurization does not reliably eliminate these spores. This applies to manuka honey, regular honey, and any product containing honey as an ingredient.