Every round of independent testing adds another piece to the picture.
Our seventh round of independent honey testing included five retail honey products purchased anonymously through normal retail and online channels before being submitted to Hill Laboratories for independent LC-MS/MS analysis.
Glyphosate was detected in all five samples. None exceeded New Zealand’s current maximum residue limit (MRL) of 0.1 mg/kg for honey, and no detectable residues of either AMPA or glufosinate were found in any sample.
As with previous rounds, our aim is not to identify a single “good” or “bad” product. Instead, we are building a long-term dataset that helps show how glyphosate residues vary across New Zealand’s retail honey market over time.
The Latest Results
| Product | Glyphosate |
|---|---|
| Manuka Doctor Multifloral MGO 40+ Batch 266208 Best before 06/2029 | 0.016 mg/kg (16 ppb) |
| Egmont Mānuka Honey UMF 5+ Batch 26EG-038 E62 Best before 17 Mar 2031 | 0.013 mg/kg (13 ppb) |
| Wrights Honey Mānuka Honey Batch 10 May 2026 Hive location Kerikeri | 0.036 mg/kg (36 ppb) |
| Wrights Honey 100+ Mānuka Batch 10 May 2026 Hive location Kerikeri | 0.015 mg/kg (15 ppb) |
| Wrights Honey Multifloral Batch 10 May 2026 Hive location Kerikeri | 0.031 mg/kg (31 ppb) |
No detectable residues of AMPA or glufosinate were found in any of the five samples.
Every Sample Contained Detectable Glyphosate
Unlike the previous round, where only one product contained detectable glyphosate, every honey tested in this round returned a measurable glyphosate result.
The results ranged from 0.013 mg/kg to 0.036 mg/kg, with all five products remaining below New Zealand’s current maximum residue limit of 0.1 mg/kg (100 parts per billion) for honey.
Why Repeat Testing Matters
One of the strengths of an ongoing testing programme is that it allows products to be revisited over time.
Honey is a natural product. Residue levels can vary between harvests, floral sources, seasons and production batches. A single laboratory result therefore represents only a snapshot in time.
This latest round includes products that have previously been tested by No More Glyphosate NZ.
Previous Results for Repeat-Tested Products
| Product | NMGNZ Test Round | Product Batch | Glyphosate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manuka Doctor Multifloral MGO 40+ | Batch 2 (August 2025) | 255588 | 0.0021 mg/kg |
| Batch 7 (August 2026) | 266208 | 0.016 mg/kg | |
| Wrights Honey Mānuka | Batch 3 (August 2025) | 0118 | 0.1199 mg/kg |
| Batch 4 (September 2025) | 0319 | 0.1467 mg/kg | |
| Batch 7 (August 2026) | 10 May 2026 (This batch uses a date) | 0.036 mg/kg |
Products that have now been tested more than once continue to demonstrate that glyphosate residues can vary between production batches. That is one of the reasons No More Glyphosate NZ continues to revisit previously tested brands. Repeat testing over time provides a much more meaningful picture than any single laboratory result alone.
What These Results Show — and What They Don’t
Our independent testing focuses specifically on glyphosate, its primary breakdown product AMPA, and glufosinate.
These tests do not screen for other herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, heavy metals, PFAS, antibiotics, microplastics, or any of the many other substances that may be present in food.
Likewise, this latest round should not be interpreted as representing every batch of every product tested. Honey is a natural product, and residue levels can vary between seasons, harvests and production batches.
That is precisely why independent repeat testing matters.
Testing Costs & Transparency
The products tested in this round were purchased anonymously through normal retail and online channels before being coded and submitted to Hill Laboratories for independent LC-MS/MS analysis.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Manuka Doctor Multifloral MGO 40+ | $6.39 |
| Egmont Mānuka Honey UMF 5+ | $14.39 |
| Wrights Honey Mānuka Honey | $24.99 |
| Wrights Honey 100+ Mānuka | $35.99 |
| Wrights Honey Multifloral | $15.99 |
| Hill Laboratories testing | $521.64 |
| Courier costs | $13.30 |
| Total Cost | $632.69 |
Laboratory testing is funded entirely through public donations. We receive no funding from government, the honey industry, or chemical manufacturers. No More Glyphosate NZ covers the cost of purchasing the honey, preparing and coding the samples, and couriering them to Hill Laboratories for analysis.
One advantage of honey testing is cost. Glyphosate analysis of honey typically costs around $104 per sample, compared with approximately $400 per sample for many more complex food products.
When we first launched our independent testing programme, a number of supporters chose to make regular monthly donations specifically to fund honey testing. Combined with the lower cost of analysis, their ongoing support has enabled us to complete seven rounds of testing and build one of New Zealand’s largest independent datasets on glyphosate residues in retail honey.
The Bigger Picture
Seven rounds of testing are beginning to reveal something that a single survey never could.
Some honey products have consistently tested below the laboratory reporting limit. Others have contained detectable glyphosate at low levels. Products tested more than once have also demonstrated that residue levels can vary between production batches.
This latest round produced another interesting result. Every honey tested contained detectable glyphosate, yet none exceeded New Zealand’s current maximum residue limit.
Independent testing isn’t about proving a point or targeting individual brands.
It’s about collecting reliable, real-world data, asking better questions, and building the evidence needed to better understand glyphosate residues in New Zealand’s food supply.
Previous Glyphosate Honey Test Results
This article reports the seventh round of independent glyphosate testing of retail honey commissioned by No More Glyphosate NZ.
Since June 2025, we have been purchasing honey products from normal retail outlets and submitting them for independent laboratory analysis at Hill Laboratories. Together, these reports are building one of New Zealand’s largest independent datasets on glyphosate residues in retail honey.
Each round provides another snapshot in time. While results can vary between brands, batches, seasons and floral sources, repeat testing helps build a clearer picture of how glyphosate residues appear across New Zealand’s honey supply over time.
You can read our previous honey testing reports here:
Glyphosate in New Zealand Honey? First Test Results Revealed (June 2025)
Seven popular New Zealand honey products were independently tested, with detectable glyphosate found in three samples.
Glyphosate in New Zealand Honey — Test Results: Batch 2 (August 2025)
The second round expanded the programme with additional mānuka and blended honey products available to New Zealand consumers.
Glyphosate in New Zealand Honey — Test Results: Batch 3 (August 2025)
Seven more retail honey products were tested, including the first Wrights Mānuka sample.
Glyphosate in Honey Test Results — Batch 4 (September 2025)
One sample exceeded New Zealand’s current Maximum Residue Limit (MRL), making it the highest glyphosate result recorded in our honey testing programme to date.
Glyphosate in Honey Test Results — Batch 5 (July 2026)
Five further retail honey products were independently tested, with low levels of glyphosate detected in two samples while the remaining three were below the laboratory reporting limit.
Independent Honey Testing Continues to Build the Picture (July 2026)
The sixth round revisited several previously tested products and demonstrated further batch-to-batch variation.
As our independent testing programme continues, we intend to revisit previously tested brands, analyse new products, and monitor how results change over time. Our aim is to provide consumers with transparent, independently obtained information about glyphosate residues in the foods they buy and eat.
Related Articles About Glyphosate and Honey
If you’d like to explore this topic further, these related articles explain how glyphosate can end up in honey, what current research says about bees, and how our independent laboratory testing programme works.
- How Does Glyphosate End Up in Honey Without Killing the Bees?
- Even the Beekeepers Know: Glyphosate Is Everywhere
- Where Have All the Pollinators Gone? Glyphosate’s Impact on Bees
- Why We Use Hill Laboratories — And What “IANZ Accredited” Actually Means
Image Source & Attribution
The feature image on this page was created by No More Glyphosate NZ using licensed stock photography and additional graphic elements, which were combined and edited in Canva for publication.
