Decoding Food Labels: How and Why Labels Influence Consumers' Responses

ABSTRACT Consumers make hundreds of food‐related decisions daily, often relying on labels to guide their choices. While extensive research has examined whether food labels are effective and which label types outperform others, limited work has explained how and why labels influence consumers' responses. To address this limitation, we conducted a systematic literature review grounded in high‐impact, up‐to‐date research on food labeling, analyzing 243 peer‐reviewed articles published in top‐tier journals between 2016 and 2025. By integrating the dual‐process theory lens to the Antecedents–Decisions–Outcomes (ADO) framework, we introduce the Food Labeling Processing model to map how labeling types (antecedents) engage different intuitive (System 1) and deliberative (System 2) processing styles (decisions), leading to various consumers' responses (outcomes). The proposed framework contributes to the literature by offering a theory‐driven conceptual synthesis that repositions food‐labeling research within the broader architecture of the dual‐process theory. Drawing on literature gaps identified through our proposed framework, we put forward a set of testable propositions grounded in consumer psychology research that future studies can explore to advance the field. Finally, we offer practical contributions by detailing how each proposition can inform public policy and marketing implications.