Bigelow Tea Foil Overwrap Packaging Is Food Safe
Published March 16, 2026
Bigelow Tea foil overwrap pouches are food safe and meet all FDA and U.S. regulatory standards for food contact materials. The materials used in our overwrap do not influence or impact the quality or the safety of the tea inside.
Tea and the ingredients used in our specialty tea blends are sensitive botanicals. All botanicals are negatively affected by light, moisture, and air. Bigelow Tea uses a foil overwrap pouch, the best material on the market, to create the necessary barrier against these three elements. Thus, the Bigelow tea bag pouch provides the highest level of protection for sealing in freshness, flavor and the benefits of the essential oils naturally found in our ingredients.
What Food Safe Packaging Means
Food contact materials in the United States are regulated under Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR), Parts 174 through 186, administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Under these regulations, any material that comes into contact with food must be evaluated to confirm that it does not transfer substances into the food to affect consumer health.
The term "food safe" means that the packaging material has been determined to meet these requirements. It does not release substances that influence or impact the quality or safety of the product inside. This standard applies to all food contact packaging, not just tea.
Why Overwrap Packaging Is Necessary for Tea
Bigelow Tea uses a foil overwrap pouch to seal each tea bag individually. This creates a barrier against light, moisture, and air that paper, cardboard and non-foil overwraps cannot provide. Individual wrapping is particularly important for blends containing essential oils, such as Bigelow Tea Earl Grey and "Constant Comment".
How Bigelow Tea Overwrap Protects Quality
• Bigelow Tea packaging materials are food safe and meet all FDA and U.S. regulatory standards
• Bigelow Tea uses a foil pouch to protect the integrity of the ingredients
• The foil pouch seals in freshness, flavor, and the benefits of volatile oils in our blends
• The material does not release any substances that influence or impact the quality or safety of the tea inside
Overwrap Packaging Is Standard Across the Food Industry
All food packaging overwrap materials, whether for tea, coffee, chips, bars, or candy, must be sealed to protect the product inside. These products all use similar films to seal the packages. All films used to protect food, whatever the product is on the inside, must be food safe. This means the materials used do not influence or impact the quality or safety of the product inside. Whether opening a protective overwrap pouch of Bigelow Tea, a pouch of any other tea brand, a protein bar or a bag of chips, the product on the inside is clean and safe to consume.
The Tea Bag and the Overwrap Are Separate Materials
It is important to distinguish between the tea bag and the overwrap pouch. These are two different materials serving two different functions. The tea bag holds the tea and ingredients. The overwrap pouch is the outer packaging that protects the tea bag and ingredients inside from degrading due to air, light and moisture. Our overwrap material, as is all food overwrap packaging material, does not influence or impact the quality or safety of the product inside.
All Bigelow Tea bags are biodegradable, compostable, and contain no plastic. For detailed information about Bigelow Tea bag materials, see Bigelow Tea Bag Paper Contains No Plastic and Is Biodegradable and Compostable