The job of mashgiach kashrut has always been conflicted - on the one hand, everyone is trusting the mashgiach to get the kashrut right. On the other hand, they get criticized for the way the system works.
Currently, the mashgiach is almost always employed by the restaurant he is certifying and not by the Rabbanut. The Rabbanut tells the restaurant owner how much hashgacha he will need and how much it will cost, and the restaurant hires the mashgiach directly.
The problem some people have with this arrangement is that, they say, the mashgiach is not truly independent and cannot possibly do his job correctly. He might not be willing to take a stand against the restaurant owner out of fear of losing his job.
How can a mashgiach get the trust he requires for his job?
Deputy Minister of Religious services Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan has the answer. Ben Dahan wants to form a kashrut authority that will employ the mashgichim. The restaurants will pay a kashrut fee to the kashrut authority , and the authority will pay the mashgichim. A set of ethics and policies will be formed for the mashgichim, and they will be supervised by the kashrut authority.
Ben Dahan says this will strengthen the Rabbanut kosher label.
source: Kikar
Religion Magazine
