New ethical kosher seal in works
By: Kelley McCoy
Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: News
If all goes according to plan, by next year, kosher food will answer to another authority.
In July, the Conservative Jewish movement pushed for an ethical kashrut certification called Hekhsher Tzedek, which would require participating kosher food processors to meet certain ethical standards regarding employees during the manufacturing process.
"The laws for kosher are kept in many houses and it's taken very seriously," said Eli Kohl, rabbi for the Jewish Learning Initiative of Hillel. "It seems that in some cases, ethical laws are overlooked."
According to the new certification guidelines, food manufacturers must adhere to standards in five areas before they can put the Hekhsher Tzedek seal on their food; wages and benefits, employee health and safety, product development, corporate integrity, and environmental impact.
"By treating the workers with this level of justice and respect, I would find my food to be even more holy than it already was," said senior communications major Hillary Hirsch.
Hekhsher Tzedek is a fairly new concept and is slowly gaining support in the Jewish community.
"I think it's nice but sad," said Shawn Levine, a senior operations management major and president of the Jewish Social Action Committee. "It's important that everyone gets treated fairly, but it should be assumed that everyone should be treated properly and not just because they have to."
The certification came in response to a 2006 investigation of complaints from workers at Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, the largest kosher meat company in the United States. In May, Federal agents raided the plant and arrested 400 illegal workers.
The seal has met resistance from Orthodox Jews, however, who worry about higher prices for already costly items, while others wonder how kosher laws and regulations would change if manufacturers were to follow these new guidelines.
Shaye Biller, the supervising rabbi for Pita Plus, thinks that while the ethical treatment of workers is a good idea, the kosher laws are so strict that people will not want to see a change in the way their food is processed.
In July, the Conservative Jewish movement pushed for an ethical kashrut certification called Hekhsher Tzedek, which would require participating kosher food processors to meet certain ethical standards regarding employees during the manufacturing process.
"The laws for kosher are kept in many houses and it's taken very seriously," said Eli Kohl, rabbi for the Jewish Learning Initiative of Hillel. "It seems that in some cases, ethical laws are overlooked."
According to the new certification guidelines, food manufacturers must adhere to standards in five areas before they can put the Hekhsher Tzedek seal on their food; wages and benefits, employee health and safety, product development, corporate integrity, and environmental impact.
"By treating the workers with this level of justice and respect, I would find my food to be even more holy than it already was," said senior communications major Hillary Hirsch.
Hekhsher Tzedek is a fairly new concept and is slowly gaining support in the Jewish community.
"I think it's nice but sad," said Shawn Levine, a senior operations management major and president of the Jewish Social Action Committee. "It's important that everyone gets treated fairly, but it should be assumed that everyone should be treated properly and not just because they have to."
The certification came in response to a 2006 investigation of complaints from workers at Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa, the largest kosher meat company in the United States. In May, Federal agents raided the plant and arrested 400 illegal workers.
The seal has met resistance from Orthodox Jews, however, who worry about higher prices for already costly items, while others wonder how kosher laws and regulations would change if manufacturers were to follow these new guidelines.
Shaye Biller, the supervising rabbi for Pita Plus, thinks that while the ethical treatment of workers is a good idea, the kosher laws are so strict that people will not want to see a change in the way their food is processed.
Be the first to comment on this story