The possibility of additional support from other religious communities may represent one of the greatest incentives to date to reward companies for their social justice efforts with respect to employee wages and benefits and employee health and safety as well as other consumer issues such as animal welfare, corporate integrity, and environmental impact.
impact statement issue
About 40 percent of the packaged food products in a U.S. supermarket are kosher. Because of recent unfavorable publicity in the general and religious food industries, consumers are looking for something to tell them that more has been done to produce a product “ethically.”
impact statement response
The Magen Tzedek program of the Conservative Jewish Movement will add a second social justice service mark to products that are already identified as kosher (and possibly halal). The program has garnered strong support within the Conservative Movement, along with support from the Reform Jewish Movement. Since many of these consumers currently do not purchase kosher foods, the service mark may bring in many new customers for those companies and products that are able to qualify.
The framework and details of a set of metrics developed for this program will meet both the food industry’s requirements and the American consumers’ needs.
impact statement summary
The creation of a service mark that represents a manufacturer’s processes and products as environmentally friendly and consistent with animal welfare and good human resource management will provide manufacturers with a single credible claim of “social justice.” Use of this service mark will permit consumers to quickly spot kosher products that address a wide range of consumer concerns.
