Some of the world's major palm oil users, including Nestle, Unilever, and Mondelez, are trying out new satellite technology to track deforestation, as pressure grows on them to source the ingredient responsibly.
They say the monitoring systems allow them to target people felling trees in producing countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, where forests are shrinking, more efficiently than policing supply chains on the ground.
"They say you're Big Brother," said Benjamin Ware, global head of responsible sourcing at Nestle. "It's not Big Brother — it's today's reality. ... There is nothing secret anymore."