Health Star Rating Labels: A systematic review and future research agenda.

• HSR labels guide healthy choices, but excessive nutritional details can have a negative effect. • Despite the existence of global standards, most FOP labels are regulated and implemented locally. • Incorporating various cultural nuances in the nutritional label design and composition can enhance the globalization of the label. • Customers trust government policies for the successful and effective implementation of HSR. • More research is needed to understand the role of HSR labels on consumers' cross-category comparisons. • Cultural nuances in label design enhance global acceptance and effectiveness. Food labeling systems are paramount in consumer food choices, leading to different consumption patterns. Although earlier research focused on food labeling systems in general and Health Star Rating (HSR) in particular, research still lacks a comprehensive understanding of HSR literature with reference to consumer choices. Therefore, this study aims to understand the extant literature on HSR and how it helps consumers make healthy food choices. Following a systematic literature review methodology, we appraised 102 peer-reviewed articles, identifying five thematic areas around HSR and consumer healthy food choices, including 'regulations, implementations, and evaluations of HSR,' 'consumer food choices,' 'nutrient profiling focus', 'stakeholder perspective of HSR,' and 'marketing strategies for HSR'. Accordingly, this review proposes a future research agenda and offers practical guidelines to facilitate consumer healthy food choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]