The index
ITS ROLE
publish literature and regulatory evidence.
ITS BOUNDARY
May not publish a certification threshold, endorse a certifier, or expose brand-level program data.
ICS GOVERNANCE
Trust needs structure.
Here is ours.
How evidence stays independent, standards stay accountable, and certification claims remain open to scrutiny.
THE INSTITUTIONAL COMMITMENT
Clear roles.
Visible decisions.
Traceable change.
01 / INDEPENDENCE
Connected institutions.
Separate decision rights.
Independence is defined by what each part of the network can publish, decide, and access. These boundaries apply even when properties share an operator.
The certification program
ITS ROLE
publish the standard, methodology, analyte coverage, and certification requirements.
ITS BOUNDARY
May cite the index for context, but may not make the index justify or endorse a certification decision.
The Institute
ITS ROLE
govern method, impartiality, registry structure, verification, enforcement, and revision rules.
ITS BOUNDARY
May not publish program threshold tables or private brand-level records on the institutional surface.
HOW THE SEPARATION IS ENFORCED
Boundaries built into the system.
Build checks prevent certification-framed thresholds and derivation records from publishing on the literature index.
Evidence, standards workbench records, certified-lot findings, and private brand records follow separate data states and publication paths.
A certification program may cite the index for literature context. The index does not endorse a certification decision.
02 / HOW STANDARDS ARE SET
A documented starting point.
A governed path forward.
Initial standards are government-anchored. Later revisions follow a separate process. The public literature index describes occurrence and context; it does not choose a certification value.
- 01
Define the exact scope
Fix the product form, intended consumer, analyte species, unit, and native basis.
- 02
Find applicable rules
Identify credible government maximum levels that govern that exact scope.
- 03
Choose the controlling rule
Select the strictest applicable maximum, preserve formulation splits, and cite the instrument.
- 04
Disclose unresolved cases
Use documented sovereign read-across or controls, or keep the scope in development.
AFTER PUBLICATION / THE STANDARDS RATCHET
Revision follows eligible certified-lot data.
Tightening requires broad, sustained performance under a separately governed trigger and a published transition record. The public occurrence pool does not determine the ratchet. Each program publishes its current standards, effective dates, and methods.
View the HMTc standards index ↗03 / OVERSIGHT & CONFLICTS
Accountability starts
with disclosure.
ICS is a trade name of Paleo Certified, Inc., which also operates the literature index. Decision rights, conflict declarations, recusals, and outside review make the structure assessable.
Standards & impartiality committee
The model assigns review and override authority to members without certified-brand or certification-revenue interests. Membership and the conflict register will publish as appointments are completed.
Conflict & separation policy
Literature curation, methodology authority, and final certification decisions are separated by role. Conflicts are declared and recusals recorded.
Inspect the policy register →ISO/IEC 17065 accreditation
ICS is pursuing third-party accreditation of its product-certification controls. Accreditation remains an objective until granted.
04 / MARK USE & ENFORCEMENT
A claim has a scope.
A certificate has a status.
A certificate states what was tested. It does not declare a product “safe.”
Coverage travels with the claim.
The standard, basis, analyte panel, and certificate number accompany the mark. Covered and uncovered analytes remain visible.
Verification reflects today.
Marks can be suspended or withdrawn. Verification must reflect the current state when a record is checked.
Enforcement leaves a record.
Notices name a party only where the matter is already public record. Institutional reporting preserves the boundary around private brand records.
05 / THE PUBLIC RECORD
Read the rules.
Follow their consequences.
CONTROLLED POLICY REGISTER
Policies & procedures
Impartiality, conflicts, publication ethics, corrections, and appeals—with identifiers, effective dates, status, and versioning.
Open the policy register ↗EVIDENCE GOVERNANCE REGISTEREvidence governance notes
What a research finding changes in scope, testing, surveillance, or claims, and why it cannot silently choose a limit.
Explore the evidence notes ↗NAMED RESPONSIBILITY