Magen Tzedek, originally known as Hekhsher Tzedek, (Hebrew: מגן צדק English translation Shield of Justice or Justice Certification, with variant English spellings) is a complementary certification for kosher food produced in the United States in a way that meets Jewish Halakhic (legal) standards for workers, consumers, animals, and the environment, as understood by Conservative Judaism.
[2] Magen Tzedek certification was initiated by Conservative Rabbi Morris Allen of Beth Jacob Congregation in Mendota Heights, Minnesota in 2007 following investigative reporting by Nathaniel Popper in The Forward regarding working conditions at the Agriprocessors kosher meat plant in Postville, Iowa.
[3] After a five-member rabbinic and lay commission visited the plant over two days and spoke with owners, senior managers and about 60 current or former workers and had reviewed reports from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry,[4] Allen stated, “We weren’t able to verify everything Popper wrote, but what we did find was equally painful and filled with indignities”.
[5] Agudath Israel of America has called the Magen Tzedek seal “a falsification of the Jewish religious heritage,” deploring it as an attempt “to redefine kashrut.”[2] Those affiliated within Orthodox Judaism contend that it causes confusion about what is truly kosher,[10] and criticize Magen Tzedek for allegedly downplaying kashrut by confusing it with social justice issues, claiming that it makes use of kashrut to follow secular political agendas.
Shafran's criticism also includes the view that this certification is a stealthy way for the Conservative movement to enter the arena of kosher supervision making allowances for “contemporary society’s increasing approval of ‘alternate lifestyles’” in response to its loss of members.