Kezzler, a global provider of supply chain traceability and serialization technology, has signed a master service agreement (MSA) with Bayer to provide track and trace capabilities for seed origins. Bayer—a life sciences company with more than 150 years experience in healthcare and agriculture—and Kezzler have had an existing working relationship for the last four years.

Under the terms of the MSA, Bayer will leverage Kezzler’s managed SaaS (software as a service) platform to provide supply chain visibility, traceability and enhanced affiliate management. The signing of the agreement will help strengthen the collaboration between the two companies in protecting farmers from counterfeit seeds and the unacceptable risk they pose to public health and the environment.

“Consumers are increasingly demanding farm-to-fork visibility for the food they consume,” says Unnikrishnan Nair, digital transformation/IT business partner lead APAC, Crop Science Division at Bayer. “Achieving transparency on the origin of seeds and the supply chain to farmers is the first step in delivering full traceability. The Kezzler platform will support our efforts to eliminate the risk of counterfeit goods, which can lead to substantially lower yields and have a detrimental effect on the environment. We are pleased to work with Kezzler, as they share our commitment to finding better solutions to address food and environmental challenges.”

“The MSA lays the foundation for our cooperative work moving forward,” adds Nair. “It sets out for both parties the necessary guidelines to ensure we achieve our goals with a joint focus and as efficiently as possible. The extended cooperation and pooling of resources allow us to be more agile and deliver our solutions to market faster. A single platform with a single-code repository that allows data to be stored in multiple locations, provides a standardized approach that is scalable and adaptable to national needs and requirements. In addition, it opens up new channels to engage directly with consumers and retailers.”

“Over the past 18 years, Kezzler has deployed digital solutions to support food traceability and authentication across the globe, from sweet potatoes in the U.S. to infant formula in China,” says Christine C. Akselsen, Kezzler’s CEO. “We are proud to continue our work with Bayer, a market leader with a global commitment to protecting sustainable farming. Integrating with Kezzler’s state of the art traceability platform empowers Bayer’s solutions to provide full supply chain visibility and product authentication in real-time.”

“It is very rewarding to be part of this extensive project as trusted partners with the Bayer team,” says John B. Beerens, CSO of Kezzler. “Through our continued cooperation, we are able to expand delivery of our track and trace technology to smallholder farmers worldwide. Unit-level product traceability and authentication provide a solid foundation for resilient and agile supply chains, a key necessity during the current times of uncertainty and beyond.”

For more information visit www.kezzler.com