The war of words between two rival brands of manuka honey testing is set to continue after a new study backed the effectiveness of the newer testing method.

The Active Manuka Honey Association (AMHA) and Manuka Health New Zealand (MHNZ) have been embroiled in a long-running stoush over their different methods of testing for the antibacterial properties manuka honey is famous for.

AMHA licenses the use of the UMF test, which rates manuka honey’s bacteria-killing activity in comparison to the laboratory disinfectant phenol.