May 13, 2026 – Green Star Organic Milling is passionate about bringing the health benefits of ancient and heirloom grains to modern consumers. From its Middle River, Maryland facility, the company stone mills and packages certified organic, non-GMO, Kosher and gluten-free flours and whole grains for distribution across the United States. As production grew, Green Star installed an M31R metal detector from METTLER TOLEDO on its retail packaging line to help ensure final product quality and support its expanding food safety program.
“We moved into a new, larger facility a few years ago and began positioning ourselves to serve more retail and private-label customers, in addition to bulk,” said Michael Mehari, Director of Operations at Green Star Organic Milling. “Metal detection plays a key role in qualifying for food safety certifications such as SQF, so we worked closely with our sales rep, Dick DeNenno of Reliant Packaging Machinery, to evaluate our options. METTLER TOLEDO’s equipment stood out for its proven performance and reliability.”
Green Star selected the advanced M31R metal detector to inspect all finished retail packages. The system uses electromagnetic fields to detect ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless-steel contaminants. By incorporating METTLER TOLEDO’s patented eDrive technology and SENSE software, the M31R delivers enhanced detection sensitivity and minimizes false rejects by filtering signal variations that naturally occur during inspection. If metal is detected, the integrated conveyor automatically stops so Green Star’s QA team can investigate.
“Our new metal detector has been performing very well. It’s been consistent across everything we run, delivering reliable results regardless of product or package size,” Mehari said. “On top of that, we haven’t experienced any false rejects or unplanned downtime since installation.”
The retail packaging line at Green Starr is fed by three upstream systems, each dedicated to different product types. This versatile configuration accommodates the company’s full product portfolio, as well as non-granulated items packaged for private-label customers including coffee beans, lentils and pinto beans. Bags range from 140 grams to four pounds, and every one passes through the M31R for inspection.
Green Star verifies the metal detector performance at the start of each shift and during product changeovers using certified test pieces. “Our staff follows a clear routine to confirm the system is performing correctly, and the interface makes it easy to track results,” said Mehari. “This procedure ensures we stay compliant with our organic, gluten-free, kosher and non-GMO certifications.”
The M31R is controlled via a 7-inch touchscreen with icon-based menus. Multiple product recipes are stored in the system’s memory, allowing fast recall during changeovers. “It’s very simple to create a new product recipe,” Mehari added. “The auto-setup routine guides the operator step by step, and the intuitive interface uses a familiar, smartphone-style design, which helps minimize training time and keeps the line running smoothly.”
“We want our customers to have complete confidence in every bag that leaves our facility,” Mehari concluded. “Our METTLER TOLEDO M31R metal detector is an important part of how we protect consumers, maintain our certifications and continue earning trust as we grow.”
About METTLER TOLEDO
METTLER TOLEDO is a leading global manufacturer of precision instruments and a service provider. The company ranks highly in a number of market segments and is a global market leader in many areas. METTLER TOLEDO is one of the largest providers of weighing systems and analysis instruments for use in laboratories and in-line measurement within demanding industrial and food production processes.
The Product Inspection division of METTLER TOLEDO is one of the leading providers within the field of automated inspection technology. The division includes the following brands: Safeline metal detection and X-ray inspection, Garvens and Hi-Speed checkweighers, and CI-Vision machine vision systems. The product inspection solutions improve manufacturers’ process efficiency and help them comply with industry standards and regulations. METTLER TOLEDO systems ensure consistently higher product quality, helping protect both consumers as well as the reputation of manufacturers and their products and brands.
For more information, please visit: www.mt.com/pi
Sarrina Crowley
METTLER TOLEDO Product Inspection
1571 Northpointe Parkway
Lutz, FL 33558 USA
Tel: +1 813 889 9500
[email protected]
www.mt.com/pi
Cat McBride
McBride Public Relations
527 27th Street
Richmond, CA 94804 USA
Tel: +1 650 384 5727
[email protected]
www.mcbridepr.com