Ensuring Integrity, Transparency, and Scientific Excellence in supplement certification.
The One Nutrition Intelligence Centre (ONIC) is an initiative of the India Chamber of Business and Commerce (India Chamber) - India's leading business and investment organisation. ONIC operates as a global, non-profit institutional platform designed to advance responsible nutrition through artificial intelligence, scientific validation, and transparent governance.
To uphold the highest standards of credibility, independence, and accountability, ONIC functions through a dual governance architecture with clear structural separation between its commercial and certification divisions.
Separation of Commercial Services and Certification Authority
Provides startup acceleration, formulation support, manufacturer matching, and training - governed by the Governing Council.
Independently certifies products against the ONIC Responsible Nutrition Standard - governed by the external Institutional Review Board (IRB).
The Firewall Protocol enforces separation across personnel, data systems, finances, and governance. Any entity may apply for OCA certification; applicants need not be OCS clients.
The Governing Council provides strategic direction, constitutional oversight, and governance policy for ONIC. It is the supreme governing body of the institution.
The Governing Council is composed of governance specialists and representatives from the India Chamber of Business & Commerce. It operates collectively and transparently, ensuring that ONIC serves the broader interests of the nutrition ecosystem rather than individual commercial interests.
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is the independent scientific and ethical authority of ONIC. It is responsible for scientific validation, ethical oversight, and issuing Scientific Determinations on all product dossiers evaluated through the ONIC system.
To preserve the highest level of independence and credibility, the IRB is structured as an external body, composed of independent experts. The IRB operates free from any commercial, institutional or operational influence.
The IRB ensures that all products validated through ONIC meet the principles of:
The IRB acts as the scientific firewall of the ONIC ecosystem — its determinations are independent and final.
The Institutional Review Board is responsible for:
The Institutional Review Board consists of independent external experts. The IRB operates in accordance with international ethical review principles, and its framework aligns with recognised ethical committee standards.
Ethics oversight at ONIC is embedded within the mandate of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which holds independent authority over scientific and ethical determinations. Institutional-level ethics oversight ensures that ONIC's activities remain aligned with the broader ethical standards and institutional values of the India Chamber of Business & Commerce.
Oversees ethical compliance across the entire ONIC ecosystem, including both OCS and OCA divisions.
Acts as the appellate authority for ethics-related disputes that cannot be resolved within ONIC's internal governance mechanisms.
Conducts an annual review of ONIC's ethics framework, firewall compliance, and stakeholder grievance outcomes.
The ONIC Secretariat is responsible for the day-to-day administration, operational coordination and implementation across ONIC. It oversees service delivery, client engagement, AI engine operations, and commercial partnerships while maintaining strict compliance with the Governance Structural Firewall. The Secretariat is an operational body, distinct from ONIC's governance bodies (Governing Council, IRB, and EAC).
Manages OCS service offerings including formulation support, manufacturer matching, regulatory guidance, and AI engine operations.
Oversees client onboarding, engagement quality, and service-level commitments for startups and enterprises using OCS.
Ensures that OCS operations remain fully separated from OCA certification activities in accordance with the Governance Structural Firewall protocol.
The Industry Advisory Council (IAC) is the principal structured interface between ONIC and responsible industry. It brings industry experience, implementation perspectives, technological developments and market intelligence into ONIC's institutional deliberations.
The IAC is constituted by, and reports to, the Governing Council. It operates as an advisory and consultative body only. The IAC has no executive, regulatory, scientific approval or certification authority.
Advises the Governing Council on industry applicability and implementation of RNS and NIF. Does not determine scientific thresholds or approve standards.
The IAC has no authority over individual validation, certification, scientific determination, ethical review or appeal. Industry members cannot contact the IRB or access case-specific files.
Chairpersons, CEOs, Founders and Chief Science Officers of nutrition, food, biotech and health-technology companies. Appointed by the Governing Council.
View Industry Advisory Council Charter & Terms of Reference →
The External Advisory Council (EAC) provides strategic advisory input to ONIC's governance framework. Composed of industry leaders, academic experts, consumer advocates, and regulatory specialists, the EAC ensures that ONIC's standards and operations reflect the perspectives of a broad range of stakeholders.
Provides recommendations on the evolution of the Responsible Nutrition Standard and assessment methodology.
Represents consumer, industry, and academic perspectives in governance discussions. Includes representation from the Consumer Advisory Panel.
Advises on alignment with international regulatory frameworks and global best practices in nutrition governance and AI ethics.
The Nutrition Intelligence Protocol (NIP) is the technical and institutional architecture that governs how every certification application moves through ONIC - from manufacturer submission to consumer trust signal. It integrates all governance bodies, AI intelligence, scientific review, and registry functions into a single auditable pipeline.
NIP enforces structural separation between the submission pathway and the scientific review pathway. No industry entity can access or influence the IRB review nodes.
ONIC-AI provides compliance scoring, risk assessment and dossier analysis. All AI outputs are advisory - the IRB makes all final scientific determinations.
Every certified product is traceable from the original submission through RNS and NIF assessment nodes to the ONIC Registry and certified badge.
View the ONIC Nutrition Intelligence Protocol Diagram →
ONIC is designed as an industry-supported yet independently governed platform. Its governance philosophy rests on three core principles:
Scientific validation and ethical decisions remain fully independent from industry influence.
All processes, validations, and certifications follow documented SOPs and auditable frameworks.
Every product approved through ONIC is supported by scientific evidence and ethical oversight.
Through its dual governance architecture, ONIC ensures that innovation in nutrition is guided by responsible science, ethical standards, transparent processes, and independent review.
This governance framework enables ONIC to serve as a trusted global platform for responsible nutrition innovation - helping build a future where scientifically validated nutrition solutions contribute to better health, stronger supply chains, and sustainable global well-being.
The complete journey from query initiation to final certification
User submits a product query to ONIC platform
Query classified into appropriate pathway
ONIC Commercial Services - Startup acceleration & support
ONIC Certification Authority - Independent review
Detailed product dossier submission with formulation data, claims, and evidence
Real-time monitoring of product analysis powered by the ONIC AI Engine
Comprehensive AI-driven evaluation of efficacy, safety, and regulatory compliance
Institutional Review Board (IRB) experts verify AI findings with independent scientific and ethical oversight
Certified product dossier with ONIC validation seal and comprehensive report
Three credentials, designed to be defensible to NABCB, the government, and export markets. Accreditations listed below are in progress - not yet held.
Via NABCB. International accreditation for product certification bodies, making ONIC certification recognisable to IAF signatories worldwide.
Government mandate layer. Department of Health Research recognition for nutrition assessment and certification programmes.
Via NABL, scoped to the OCA Reference Laboratory. Independent analytical capability for blind sample retesting.