To protect consumers, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has set a maximum residue level (MRL) of 0.7 mg/kg. Honey produced from most regions in New Zealand must be tested for Tutin before it can be sold or gifted, this includes hobbyist hives. Read this guide to ensure you are complying with regulatory requirements.
Tutin is an extremely toxic compound found in the sap of the tutu plant (Coriaria arborea), a native bush to New Zealand. Toxic honeydew is produced by the passion vine hopper insect feeding on the sap, it is then collected by bees and turned into honey.
Passion Vine Hoppers are not present in the lower South Island and below but are present everywhere else in New Zealand. Certain areas are at higher risk, so it is essential that you comply with the regulations to protect consumers.
Individual Batches: If you are in a medium to high risk area, or an area you are not familiar with, testing your batches individually for tutin is the most cost-effective option. As you gain trust in your environment, you may be able to move to composite testing as the risk of having tutin in your honey decreases.
Compositing Batches: If you are in a low-risk area, composite testing your batches may be the most cost-effective option. See our Tutin Compositing Tech Note to ensure you submit your samples to the lab correctly.
Honeycomb is a high risk product when it comes to tutin contamination, so it is important that you follow the guidelines outlined in the MPI Tutin Compliance Guide. Bees could fill each honeycomb cell with honey from a different nectar/honeydew source, so to get a representative comb sample, you want to collect and send in the drippings from the comb. We will analyse the sample for trace levels of tutin to ensure every cell is below the maximum level.
Results will for routine testing are available the next working day and the same working day for urgent testing from receipt of sample.
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