Monitoring the correct application of drinking straws to primary packages is a basic precondition for operational reliability in the beverage and packaging industry. In fully automated secondary packaging processes, drinking straws protruding sideways from primary packages inevitably cause cartoners to malfunction. It is a challenge to detect the exact position of transparent drinking straws sealed in foil, especially against the background of the frequently changing multicolored designs of the packages. Reliable results are even harder to ensure when batches with varying package designs have to be automatically changed without readjusting the line to every new design. Milch-Union Hocheifel has now found a reliable solution for the problem.